Clyburn floats idea of ‘mini primary’ that could pick Biden replacement before DNC

During an interview on CNN, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said that if Biden were to drop out of the presidential race, the Democratic Party would likely hold a “mini-primary” to determine the party’s presidential nominee.

Ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August, the party will hold a virtual roll call to ensure Biden’s name appears on the ballot in Ohio. If he were to drop out of the race, Clyburn said the party would just use the already-scheduled virtual meeting to determine the nominee.

“You can actually fashion the process that’s already in place to make it a mini primary, and I would support that absolutely,” Clyburn said. “We can’t close that down, and we should open up everything for the general election.”

Clyburn was influential during Biden’s 2020 campaign, particularly when he endorsed him just before the South Carolina primary race. Following last week’s presidential debate in Atlanta, Clyburn said that despite Biden’s weak performance, he stands behind the president.

A spokeswoman for Clyburn said in a statement to Politico that the congressman was not planning to replace Biden and was only speaking hypothetically.

“It is quite obvious that Congressman Clyburn was responding to a hypothetical question,”  spokeswoman Brianna Frias told Politico. “He was not calling for a ‘mini primary.’ Instead, he was explaining the existing process. The Congressman fully supports President Biden at the top of the ticket and it would be irresponsible to report anything otherwise.”

Clyburn said that while a mini primary may be an opportunity for presidential hopefuls to secure a nomination, Vice President Kamala Harris remains the party’s top contender.

However, there are 700 uncommitted delegates who could be up for grabs.

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“It would seem to me that any one of these people who aspire to be president, who would like to see a contest taking place — look at those 700 delegates who are now uncommitted and get into the action,” Clyburn said.

Contenders to replace Biden include Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and Gavin Newsom (D-CA). They are among multiple Democratic governors meeting with the president Wednesday evening.