CBS News
Now that Biden is out, what’s next for Democrats? Here’s a timeline of key dates
With President Biden now out of the running, the Democratic Party is already looking ahead to what’s next.
Right now there is no official Democratic nominee. While it’s still possible other candidates could step forward, Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination. She has already received the endorsement of Mr. Biden and other high-profile Democrats.
Harris, in her first statement following Mr. Biden’s announcement, said “my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
To become the nominee, candidates have to secure the necessary support from the party’s delegates. This could happen either at an upcoming virtual roll call, expected to take place early August, or during what’s known as an open convention. The DNC Rules Committee is meeting this Wednesday to discuss next steps for the party’s nomination process.
Read on to learn more about these events and other key dates to watch out for.
DNC Rules Committee meeting: July 24
The Rules Committee, which is tasked with making sure the presidential nomination runs smoothly, will meet virtually to discuss the process for selecting the next presidential candidate. The meeting will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m ET. The public can watch on the DNC’s YouTube page.
Virtual Roll Call: Expected between Aug. 1-7
The virtual roll call would allow a candidate to officially lock up the nomination before the in-person Democratic National Convention. It is expected to take place in early August. The exact date is still up in the air, but the Rules Committee could announce it after the July 24 meeting concludes. In a press call Monday night, chair Jaime Harrison told reporters the roll call will happen before Aug. 7.
David Becker, a CBS News contributor and the executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research said that as long as Democrats have a nominee before the end of August, they’re in the clear. States have different deadlines for candidates to qualify and be formally placed on the ballot, he said, but that deadline is in late August for every state.
“If they leave their convention with a nominee, they will have met all the legal requirements for all 50 states,” Becker said.
Democrats had been planning a virtual roll call vote to formally nominate Mr. Biden before he announced that he was dropping his bid for reelection. Now the attention shifts to Harris as the likely nominee. If she receives a majority of the pledged delegates during the expected roll call vote, she will become the Democratic nominee before the convention.
However, if the virtual roll call doesn’t happen, there would be what’s called an open convention, where candidates would have to convince delegates to back them to secure the nomination at the DNC.
Becker, however, doesn’t think Democrats will reach this juncture.
“I would say the possibility of that happening is about as likely as us having a beautiful 65-degree-with-no-humidity summer in D.C.,” he said. “With the state delegations that have already pledged to Kamala, it’s very likely this will be resolved fairly soon,” he said.
CBS News has been tracking the number of delegates who are backing Harris, and by Tuesday morning, enough delegates had pledged their support to Harris for her to clinch the nomination. The delegates who previously pledged support for Mr. Biden are not automatically committed to Harris — they can vote for whomever they choose.
Democratic National Convention: Aug. 19-22
Between delegates, visitors and the media, approximately 70,000 people are expected to attend this year’s convention in Chicago. The events will be split between two venues: United Center will host evening activities while McCormick Place will host daytime sessions.
DNC Chair Minyon Moore issued a statement emphasizing that while there will be a new presidential nominee, the original goal of the convention has not changed.
“Here in Chicago, our mission remains the same,” she wrote. “During the convention, we will have an opportunity to show the country and the world who Democrats are and what we stand for.”
VP and presidential nominees formally accept: Expected Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, respectively
If this year’s DNC is in keeping with the schedule of past conventions, the nominee for vice president will accept the nomination with a speech on Wednesday, Aug. 21, followed by the presidential nominee on the final night of the convention, Thursday, Aug. 22.
Second presidential debate: Planned for Sept. 10, but in question
The second presidential debate was originally set to be hosted by ABC News on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. ET. However, the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to that plan before Mr. Biden left the race, and there are a lot of question marks around whether it will happen, said Becker.
“We’re not going with the Commission on Presidential Debates, as we have in the past,” he said. “So it basically depends upon the agreement of the candidates.”
In a post on Truth Social on July 21, former President Donald Trump said he now thinks the debate should be on Fox News instead of ABC.
“Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate, with whomever the Radical Left Democrats choose, should be held on FoxNews,” he wrote.
Election Day: Nov. 5
Many states have different periods for early voting, culminating in Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. In line with past elections, the final count won’t be known on election night, and the outcome in some states may not be clear for several days while ballots are still being counted.
Other key dates:
- First state to mail out absentee ballots (North Carolina): Sept. 6
- Deadline to mail ballots to military and overseas voters: Sept. 21 (45 days before Election Day)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.