Biden to be formally nominated in August despite withdrawal calls
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on Saturday that the party plans to formally nominate Joe Biden as its presidential candidate in early August. According to the announcement, the nomination is expected to occur during a virtual vote. Despite calls to withdraw from the presidential race, Biden does not intend to back down.
The DNC rules committee decided the day before that the vote would be held between August 1 and August 7.
Candidates are usually nominated by parties at national conventions. Democrats plan to hold their convention on August 19 in Chicago. However, party leaders have determined that the virtual vote must be conducted no later than August 7. This step aims to avoid potential legal disputes in Ohio, which requires the main parties to have their presidential candidate 90 days before the general election on November 5.
As Dana Remus, a former White House advisor, argued: "My goal as counsel is to ensure we address and avoid all unnecessary legal risk on the way. And that's why we need a virtual nominating process," she added.
Calls for Biden to withdraw from candidacy. He remains steadfast
3,896 sworn delegates will participate in the national convention vote. If the presidential candidate does not receive an absolute majority, 700 so-called "superdelegates" will participate in the second round. These are U.S. House of Representatives and Senate lawmakers, governors, state party chairs, and DNC members.
Biden gained the support of 99% of delegates in the Democratic primaries. Despite this, so far, over 35 members of Congress have called on him to withdraw from the candidacy. Biden, however, does not heed these calls. After a quarantine break due to contracting COVID-19, he plans to resume his election campaign next week.
