WASHINGTON D.C., DC — President Biden's historic decision to dropout of the 2024 election has thrown voters for a loop. A presumptive nominee has never dropped out this close to Election Day.
There are a lot of questions and even more speculation about what this means.
Here is what we know:
Biden endorses Vice President Kamala Harris
Harris is not the Democratic nominee for president. But she looks set to lock that up at the party's convention on Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Harris has been racking up endorsements since the news came out, including many from Democrats from and in Indiana. Some of those endorsements are from delegates to the Democratic Nation Convention (DNC), where the party's nominee will officially be named. Many had been pledged to vote for Biden, but are now able to vote for other candidates now that he has dropped out.
Did Biden drop out too late?
Polling this far out from elections has generally not reflected final election results. Democrats are optimistic they can still win the election. But the late change could impact how the Democratic nominee ends up on ballots in November.
A roll-call vote ahead of the DNC was scheduled to make sure Biden could end up on the Ohio ballot. It's not clear how that will play out now that the nominee is much less settled. But experts are confident Democrats will get it done.
The Democratic nominee should end up on the Indiana ballot.
According to the office of Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales:
"For the General Election (November), September 10, 2024, at noon Indianapolis time, is the deadline for the Indiana State Party Chair of the Democratic Party to certify the names of the party’s candidates for president and vice-president of the United States. (IC 3-10-4-5)"
What happens to the money?
The Biden/Harris Campaign was a fundraising juggernaut, with almost $100 million in the bank and some 200 field offices across the country working to get out the vote. As of Sunday afternoon, the campaign had been renamed to "Harris for President" and all that money and infrastructure will now work for her re-election.
This is one reason Harris was long seen as the likely replacement if Biden dropped out of the race. If someone else was the nominee, all but $2,000 of that war chest would be locked away by campaign finance law. But because Harris was already part of the campaign finance filings, the cash is still available.
Who will be her running mate?
The short answer is: we don't know. Harris isn't even the official nominee. Former President Donald Trump waited to name J.D. Vance as his running mate until the Republican National Convention.
There are some likely candidates who are either from important swing states or are believe to help attract independents to a Harris presidential ticket.
What is with the coconut memes?
When Harris was first running for president in 2020, a remark she made about a coconut tree was used to oppose her. Now her fans are reclaiming the meme to show their support. Click here to learn about it (and the "brat summer" memes you may also see from her supporters).