Joe Biden drops out of US presidential race

By Peter Ochieng

It is official.

United States of America (USA) president Joe Biden will not seek for re-election during the November, 2024 polls.

The first term Head of State pulled out of the race on Sunday evening, via a statement on his X page.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," wrote the 81-year-old outgoing president.

Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental strength and ability to beat former president Donald Trump.

Four days before Sunday's announcement, Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 for a third time, forcing him to cut short a campaign trip to Las Vegas.

Over 10 congressional Democrats had called publicly for him to quit the race.

He said he will continue discharging his duties, until a new president is sworn-in, in January, 2025.

He has since endorsed Vice President Kamal Harris to replace him as the Democtratic party's candidate.

Biden's withdrawal has been touted as a through pass to Republic candidate, Trump.

Besides Biden endorsing his deputy, the Democratic Party would need to select a new candidate.

This process could involve several steps.

They include primary or caucus votes. This basically means that if the withdrawal happens early enough, other candidates who participated in the primaries or caucuses might take the lead based on their previous standings or might campaign for the nomination.

Secondly, the democratic National Committee might convene to select a new candidate.

This could involve discussions among party leaders and delegates to choose a consensus candidate.

Thirdly, if the withdrawal happens close to the Democratic National Convention, delegates at the convention would vote to nominate a new candidate.

And finally Vice Presidential Selection. If the candidate had already chosen a running mate, that person might be considered for the top of the ticket, or a new VP candidate might be selected.