Are Democrats making a mistake by rushing to embrace Harris for president?

What’s happening

Just over 24 hours after President Biden announced he was exiting the 2024 campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement at the top of the Democratic ticket, Harris had secured the backing of a majority of delegates.

That rush of support, which will likely soon culminate in a virtual vote by delegates that will make Harris the nominee, has left some Democrats questioning whether it would be better for the party to hold a mini-primary before the start of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19. Under that scenario, other candidates could step forward to challenge Harris for the nomination, debates could be held, and voters, not just delegates, could have a role in selecting Biden’s replacement.

Republicans have accused insiders in the Democratic Party of pulling off a “coup” by replacing Biden with Harris. At the other end of the political spectrum, Black Lives Matter issued a statement on Tuesday demanding that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) “create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process, not just a nomination by party delegates.”

DNC chairman Jaime Harrison sent a letter last week to delegates saying the vote Harris is poised to win will take place between Aug. 1 and Aug. 5 in order to settle the question before an Aug. 7 deadline in Ohio to pick a nominee. Though Ohio lawmakers have pushed the state deadline back to Sept. 1, Harrison said in his letter that the party wants to avoid any legal complications that might arise by missing the earlier date.

Other Democrats note that Harris, whom Biden picked to succeed him, is by far the best candidate positioned to be the nominee. She has inherited Biden’s campaign staff, can tap the millions the campaign has raised and leads other Democrats in hypothetical matchups against former President Donald Trump.

Perspectives

Democrats are making a huge mistake

“Biden’s senescence was only part of the party’s crisis. The other part was the impression that Democratic politics felt like a game rigged by insiders to favor a candidate of their choice, and to isolate that candidate from the risk associated with campaigning.” — Graeme Wood, the Atlantic

Kamala Harris or bust

“Vice President Kamala Harris is the only choice to replace him [Biden]. That now makes her the leader of the Democrats’ future. The Democratic National Convention is not the time to litigate her ability to take over for Biden. The time to do that was in 2020.” — Tressie McMillan Cottom, New York Times

There’s still time to hold an abbreviated primary

“Mr. Biden’s decision creates an opportunity for a reset, not only for his party but also for U.S. politics generally, through a competitive nomination process among future national leaders. Barack Obama was a stronger candidate in 2008, and maybe even a better president, because Hillary Clinton competed so fiercely with him during a marathon primary season. Though this sort of vetting process isn’t replicable, there is time for Democrats to scrutinize the contenders for top of the ticket.” — Washington Post editorial board

Democrats should but won’t hold a contest to decide the nominee

Anointing Harris “means the country is losing the chance to see a genuine and instructive party debate unfold. We’d learn more about each candidate and what he or she stands for. Ms. Harris would probably win the nomination in any case, and she’d be stronger for it. As it stands now, she is winning by acclamation among all of the Democratic Party insiders and money men who’ve swung behind her.” — Wall Street Journal editorial board

Harris’s swift rise speaks to her strength as a candidate

“No doubt Harris and her allies had a strong whip operation — which speaks well of their abilities — but there was also a spontaneous bandwagon effect that no decision maker could have held back. And the fact that Harris was the object of that outpouring of exhilaration and relief suggests no other candidate could compete or unify all the party’s factions as quickly.” — Michelle Goldberg, New York Times