A 28-day path forward for the Democratic Party

Should President Biden decide, for any reason, to withdraw from this November’s election, there is a way forward for Democrats to dramatically transform this contest. 

We are longstanding members of the Democratic National Committee who have joined together, not to argue whether President Biden should or should not withdraw his candidacy. Instead, we seek to address the unanswered question as to how our party might best proceed should he step down as our presumptive nominee.

For some of our colleagues, discussion of this issue has been verboten. We disagree arguing that it’s important an alternative nominating process be spelled out in advance so that it can be discussed, refined and ready to be implemented, if needed.

The central idea we wish to advance is the creation of a process that is open, transparent and energizing.

This suggested plan can only begin, of course, if the president announces that he will not be seeking reelection, that he understands the need to defeat Donald Trump and is confident that there is a deep Democratic bench that can both defeat Trump and build on the significant successes achieved by the Biden administration. 

To ensure an orderly process, he could announce that he is asking the DNC to define the way forward.

Here’s how that can happen:

The Rules Committee of the Democratic National Committee could immediately meet to lay out an abbreviated campaign schedule and process, voted on virtually by the full DNC after their deliberations, to select a new Democratic Party nominee for president. It is possible that this work can occur over four days. 

After approval of the plan, the candidate certification process can begin. Each candidate for the presidential nomination would be required to secure the endorsement of 40 sitting DNC members from the approximate 450 members — the vast majority of whom are elected in their states and are broadly representative of Democrats nationally. 

The 40 must include at least seven members from each of the party’s four geographic regions. Given the number of DNC members, such a process will most likely result in no more than five potential nominees.

These nominating petitions will be submitted to the secretary of the Democratic National Committee for certification no later than 10 days after the process is announced and should include a signed statement pledging to run a positive campaign coupled with an agreement to endorse the winning nominee.

While certified candidates will be free to conduct campaigns on their own, the Democratic National Committee will host two televised town halls over a 10-day period for the certified candidates to appear together to make their case to the Democratic Convention delegates and the nation.  

The messaging from these new, younger leaders — opposing Donald Trump, praising President Biden’s progress and explaining why they are best positioned to continue his progress — will be powerful and will, no doubt, command large television audiences.

The process will conclude at the Democratic National Convention where the candidates will be formally nominated and votes cast by the 3,933 elected delegates in the first round and 4,672 delegates in subsequent rounds which includes the automatic delegates. 

After the presidential nominee is selected they will be asked to select their vice-presidential running mate to be presented to the convention for a vote the following day. 

Imagine the final address to the convention by President Biden. This would be a crowning moment in his long and extraordinary career as a public servant.

With the excitement of an open convention process completed, Democrats across the nation will be energized and a larger than usual audience of Americans will see our party as a truly democratic party. And our eventual nominee would be seen as the legitimate winner of an open, democratic process. 

While schedule may be a concern for some, these actions would consume a total of 28 days which can easily occur within the time remaining to the end of the Democratic National Convention.

Others also question how the campaign transition would work. During the certification, town hall and nomination process (24 days) the transition of funds, campaign staff and committees can almost certainly be worked out. Field staff, vendors and committees will be highly motivated to continue.

If this occurs, President Biden will have made this all possible. He will be seen as a true national leader who, because he cared more about saving democracy, put aside his personal ambition and allowed the Democrats to preserve and build on his legacy.

David Walters, who was governor of Oklahoma from 1991-1995, joined the Democratic National Committee's Executive Committee in 2019 and co-chaired its Rules Committee for the 2008 Convention. James Zogby has served on the DNC’s Executive Committee for 16 years and has been chair of its Resolutions Committee for 11 years.