Joe Biden’s poor debate performance on Thursday sparked panic among Democrats, who are now considering whether they can replace the 81-year-old president with a stronger candidate to fight Donald Trump.
The contenders to replace Biden start with his vice-president, Kamala Harris. Several Democratic governors, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, are also on activists’ lists — and have cultivated a national presence in recent months despite supporting Biden.
Democratic governors from traditionally Republican states, such as Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Roy Cooper of North Carolina, are longer shots, as are transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.