What Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race means for Washington
Jul 22, 2024, 4:46 PM | Updated: 6:11 pm
President Joe Biden participates in a briefing in the Oval Office of the White House, Dec. 22, 2022, in Washington. (File photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)
(File photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)
President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday created a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties. Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within the Democratic Party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump. The move opens the door for Vice President Kamala Harris to lock up Democratic delegates as she ramps up her campaign for the White House.
But, for Washington voters, a lot of questions remain about the potential impact of the last couple of days. We asked experts for answers.
Past coverage: Biden drops out of 2024 race, VP Harris gets his nod
How will Biden’s withdrawal impact Washington’s August ballot?
The simple answer, according to King County Elections officials, is there will be no impact on the current August ballot because those ballots have already been sent out to the more than 4.8 million voters in Washington. Also, while the August ballot does include primaries for 11 federal offices, those races are for the U.S. Senate and Congress, not for president.
How will Biden’s withdrawal impact the November ballot?
According to the Secretary of State’s office, basically, it won’t have any impact. There is plenty of time between the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and November to print the name of the Democratic nominee, right next to Republican nominee Donald Trump on the November ballot.
What if I voted for Biden in the state’s primary?
In effect, your vote in Washington’s primary is now up for grabs and could go to any Democratic candidate for president. During his campaign, Biden accrued nearly 4,000 Democratic delegates after winning primary elections across the country, including U.S. territories. Those delegates include the 43 here in Washington. According to several leading elections scholars, by stepping away from the presidential race, Biden now releases those delegates who are free to cast their official votes for any candidate they choose during the DNC. In the moments immediately after Biden’s announcement, political allies of Harris furiously began making phone calls to delegates and party chairs in order to gain their support.
What if I gave money to the Biden campaign? Can I get my money back?
The quick and easy answer, from many legal scholars, is Harris could take over all Biden-Harris campaign money raised up until the DNC. Their campaign account was registered with the Federal Election Commission in the name of both candidates, which means Harris could use those funds for her own presidential race.
Currently, the campaign has close to $91 million cash on hand, according to its most recent filings. The campaign reported last week, that money combined with money from other Democratic organizations, equals about $240 million.
Donors may be able to get refunds only if the campaign agrees to give one. That’s because, according to legal scholars, once somebody makes a political contribution, they give up their rights to that money, and suing to get that money back won’t hold up in courts.
However, if the money donated was to the Biden-Harris campaign and neither Biden nor Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, a donor has a better chance of getting their money refunded.
Donations designated for the state primary, which Biden won winning more than 83%of votes, stay with the campaign. Any money taken in by the campaign up until the DNC also stays with the campaign.
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If Harris ends up not replacing Biden as a nominee, their former campaign would be allowed to transfer only $2,000 of money raised to a new candidate. Harris is expected to meet with staffers of Biden’s reelection campaign in Delaware. Her office said she will then hold a “campaign engagement” in Wilmington.
Biden endorsed Harris shortly after announcing has was leaving the race. The campaign announced it raised close to $50 million in the hours after his announcement.
According to the New York Times, Harris raised $81 million in the first 24 hours as a candidate.
Luke Duecy is a reporter for KIRO Newsradio.
