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Illustration featuring a human hand placing an icon of man wearing suit into the ballot box

"If Democrats need to choose another candidate, they need to make the process as competitive and open as possible"

(Image credit: Boris Zhitkov / Getty Images)

published 8 July 2024

'Democrats need to hold a real contest'

Ezra Klein at The New York Times

The recent presidential debate "made it impossible for the Democratic Party to continue ignoring what voters already believed about Biden," says Ezra Klein. If President Joe Biden leaves the race, he can name Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, or the party can hold a "mini-primary," an idea suggested by Biden campaign co-chair Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). "If Democrats need to choose another candidate, they need to make the process as competitive and open as possible," says Klein. "Democrats tried to play it safe and failed. It is time to open themselves to risk."

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Anya Jaremko-Greenwold has worked as a story editor at The Week since 2024. She previously worked at FLOOD Magazine, Woman's World, First for Women, DGO Magazine and BOMB Magazine. Anya's culture writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Jezebel, Vice and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.