With the Democratic National Convention in August, Georgia delegates set aside questions about President Joe Biden’s mental acuity and physical fitness in favor of his track record.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writer Tamar Hallerman talked about where Georgia’s Democratic delegates stand on Biden’s reelection bid during Wednesday’s episode of “Politically Georgia.”
In the AJC’s latest survey of Georgia’s 109 Democratic delegates, reporters were able to contact 50 and asked them whether they plan to remain faithful to Biden as the party’s nominee. The vast majority of the delegates contacted firmly support the president, with only two who expressed deep concern about Biden’s performance in Atlanta’s debate and his interview with George Stephanopoulos.
“They really showed no hesitation about backing him,” Hallerman said. “They felt his record over the last three-plus years was very strong and that he deserved their support.”
Hallerman said the delegates have an array of backgrounds. Some delegates are well-known lawmakers and others are just your “average Joe,” but all are die-hard Democrats.
“‘I would vote for a piece of wood or a rock over his opponents,’” Hallerman recalled Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. telling her during an interview
Many delegates saw Biden as the only option. However, some said if Biden were to step aside, Kamala Harris would be their top pick.
“VP Harris was seen as the successor — at least the most likely choice should President Biden decide to step aside,” Hallerman said.
Many delegates see this election as a “stark moment in history” and seek to unify the party against former President Donald Trump.
“There was a desire to show the outside world that the party was not going to be abandoning Joe Biden at this moment,” Hallerman said. “They believed that he had earned his spot to be the nominee in this cycle and that they weren’t planning to abandon him anytime soon.”
With the Democratic National Convention around the corner, Hallerman said, some states have ballots set with Biden’s name beforehand, which opens the door to legal challenges when determining whether a vote for Biden is a vote for an alternate Democratic nominee if the president steps aside.
However, that is not the only obstacle an alternate nominee could face.
“It would take time for any potential replacement to ramp up, find a staff, build an infrastructure, raise money, introduce themselves to voters,” she said.
Thursday on “Politically Georgia”: Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan joins the show to discuss his discontent with Biden or Trump’s reelection.
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