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Biden Will Step Aside in the 2024 Race. What Happens Next?

A "Kamala 2024" sign is placed outside the US Naval Observatory, home of Vice President Kamala Harris, on July 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images via AFP)
A "Kamala 2024" sign is placed outside the US Naval Observatory, home of Vice President Kamala Harris, on July 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Biden Will Step Aside in the 2024 Race. What Happens Next?

A "Kamala 2024" sign is placed outside the US Naval Observatory, home of Vice President Kamala Harris, on July 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images via AFP)
A "Kamala 2024" sign is placed outside the US Naval Observatory, home of Vice President Kamala Harris, on July 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images via AFP)

President Joe Biden said on Sunday he would withdraw from the 2024 presidential election race, putting the United States into uncharted territory.

Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee.

Before Biden's decision was made, Reuters spoke to Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think-tank, a Democratic National Committee member and author of the book "Primary Politics" about the presidential nominating process, who explained how the process could work. Reuters also spoke to legal experts and Democratic Party officials.

Q: WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

A: Biden has spent the last several months accruing nearly 4,000 Democratic delegates by winning primary elections in US states and territories.

Those delegates would normally vote for him to be the party's official presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention, which is to take place Aug. 19-22, but the rules do not bind or force them to do so. Delegates can vote with their conscience, which means they could throw their vote to someone else.

By stepping aside, Biden is effectively "releasing" his delegates, potentially sparking a competition among other Democratic candidates to become the nominee.

Within hours of Biden's announcement, Harris' allies were working the phones - calling delegates and party chairs to get their backing, sources told Reuters.

Q: WHO COULD REPLACE BIDEN?

A: Several candidates could step into the fray.

Harris is at the top of the list, but she has had her own problems after a rocky start as vice president and poor polling numbers. The US Constitution dictates that the vice president becomes president if the president dies or becomes incapacitated, but it does not weigh in on an inter-party process for choosing a nominee.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker have all been floated as possible replacements. Up until now they have been Biden supporters working to help get him elected, and Whitmer has said she supports Harris.

Q: HOW WILL A NOMINEE BE CHOSEN?

A: There could be a free-for-all of sorts between the Democratic heavyweights vying for the job.

According to Ballotpedia, there are expected to be some 4,672 delegates in 2024, including 3,933 pledged delegates and 739 so-called superdelegates - senior party members.

In order to secure the nomination, a candidate would need to get a majority - that is, more votes than all the others combined.

That's what Harris' allies are trying to do right now - secure the pledged support of 1,969 delegates, and shut down any competition.

If no one achieves that, then there would be a "brokered convention" where the delegates act as free agents and negotiate with the party leadership. Rules would be established and there would be roll-call votes for names placed into nomination.

It could take several rounds of voting for someone to get a majority and become the nominee. The last brokered convention when Democrats failed to nominate a candidate on the first ballot was in 1952.

WHAT HAPPENS TO BIDEN'S CAMPAIGN CASH?

The Biden-Harris campaign had $91 million in the bank at the end of May, but experts on campaign finance law disagree on how readily the money could change hands.

Because Harris is also on the campaign filing documents, many experts believe the money could be transferred over to her if she is on the ticket. There is some debate about whether Biden would need to be officially nominated first as the party's candidate before a transfer could be made.

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Features

Gaza’s Psychological Trauma Brings Large Numbers to Seek Help

Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Gaza’s Psychological Trauma Brings Large Numbers to Seek Help

Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Gaza residents are suffering "a volcano" of psychological trauma from Israel's devastating military campaign that has become clear since last month's truce, according to Palestinian mental health specialists.

Two years of intense Israeli bombardment and repeated military incursions that local health authorities say have killed more than 68,000 people, along with widespread homelessness and hunger, have affected all of Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants.

The crisis is evident in the large numbers now seeking treatment from the Gaza City Mental Health Hospital team, now working out of a nearby clinic because their building is damaged, said its head Abdallah al-Jamal.

"With the start of the truce, it was like a volcano erupting in patients seeking mental health services. Even the stigma that used to be present before, the fear of visiting a psychologist, does not exist anymore," he said, describing "a very large increase" in numbers from before the conflict.

Jamal and a colleague are working as best they can, but with the hospital having suffered significant damage their resources are limited and they have to share a room, depriving their patients of consultations in privacy.

"That is honestly insulting in the way services are provided, but we are trying as much as possible to find alternatives," he said of the more than 100 patients they see there every day.

Among children, there are widespread reports of night terrors, bed-wetting and other symptoms including an inability to focus, say mental health specialists for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

"Gazan children are now suffering from shortages of food, water, shelter, and clothing," said Nivine Abdelhadi, a specialist from the organization, which is offering activities for children that include games and stories.

The ceasefire came into effect on October 10, although there have been repeated outbreaks of violence since then. It brought a halt to major warfare in the conflict, which was triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies.

Features

A Rosy Life on Social Media Masks Gaza’s Bleak Reality

A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)
A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)
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A Rosy Life on Social Media Masks Gaza’s Bleak Reality

A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)
A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)

Anyone scrolling through social media and seeing the posts of some Gaza residents, including activists, influencers, and shop owners, might think the enclave had not endured a devastating two-year war whose effects still weigh heavily on every aspect of life and worsen by the day.

Images showing a handful of shops reopening after partial repairs, shared by influencers and users on various platforms, have been picked up by some Israeli media outlets portraying Gaza as if it had turned into a paradise.

Yet destruction remains widespread, thousands of victims are still buried under the rubble, and more than 1.5 million people continue to live in tents and shelters, exposed to winter’s cold or the current heat, while sporadic violations persist and more than 200 Palestinians have been killed in the past two weeks alone.

No Oversight or Accountability

Mariam Hamdan, 31, from Gaza City’s al-Nasr neighborhood, said that since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, she has heard about goods entering the enclave, but has seen little improvement in daily life.

Hamdan said she is often shocked by what she sees online, videos painting life in Gaza as “comfortable,” while prices remain exorbitant.

“The goods that do come in are unaffordable. Shop owners and influencers advertising products sell them at prices only someone in Europe could afford,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We had hoped prices would return close to what they were before the war, or at least to levels seen during the first truce in January,” she said. “Instead, traders are waging their own war on us by draining our pockets with sky-high prices.”

Workers Without Options

Naaman al-Shanti, 53, an employee of the Palestinian Authority, said he has been unable to buy frozen chicken or meat for his family of nine since the ceasefire began. “We were all longing for it, but the prices are beyond reach,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

In fact, most Gazans cannot afford frozen goods even though some have reappeared in markets. A kilogram of frozen meat now costs at least 75 shekels (over $23) and sometimes as much as 120 shekels (over $36), compared with just 6 to 8 shekels ($1 to $2) before the war.

“We don’t know what to do anymore,” al-Shanti said angrily. “Life is unbearable. Then you see people posting videos as if we’re living in heaven, not in devastated, miserable Gaza, where most public employees can’t even feed their children.”

Hamas Under Fire

While Hamas-run authorities have largely remained silent, their teams have been seen in markets attempting to keep order. Activists, however, accuse the group of failing to take serious action to address the enclave’s worsening economic hardship, with some blaming it for corruption and a lack of effective governance.

In recent days, reports have emerged of aid theft, including flour, tents, and tarps, from shipments entering Gaza through the Philadelphi corridor along the coastal Rashid Street.

A prominent Gaza activist, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “During the war, the occupation and its collaborators exploited people by stealing aid and selling it on the black market.

Now that the war is over, we still see no serious effort to stop the exploitation of citizens’ daily needs. Goods like poultry and cooking gas are entering, but fairness in pricing and distribution is absent.”

He added: “People believed that once the fighting stopped, Hamas’s government would restore order, control prices, and curb exploitation. But the outcome is a big zero, as if we’re still at war.”

Hamas has often said its civil servants are targeted by Israel and face constant threats of assassination, a claim long echoed by field sources. But many residents and activists now dismiss that justification.

In a WhatsApp group of local journalists, one correspondent for a Palestinian TV channel wrote: “If those governing Gaza blamed the bombing and war for their failures, where are they now when it comes to easing citizens’ suffering and protecting them from this cruel exploitation? People who endured and sacrificed for a decision not of their own making are now being rewarded with greed and corruption.”

Another journalist added: “Everyone blames the Economy Ministry. What economy are they talking about, one that collects taxes but ignores citizens’ pain? The least that can be said about this behavior is that it betrays people’s sacrifices and resilience.”

Accusations of Taxing Traders

Accusations are also mounting that Hamas has resumed taxing traders.

Merchant Jamal Abd Rabbo told Asharq Al-Awsat that he buys frozen goods from major suppliers at steep prices and has to sell them slightly higher to make a small profit. He said top wholesalers told him the Hamas-run Economy Ministry imposes taxes on them, forcing prices up.

He added that high demand for poultry from restaurants and shawarma shops has further driven up prices.

The Hamas government has not publicly responded to the accusations.

However, government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that authorities are preparing measures to curb the crisis, including shutting down restaurants and shawarma stands from Sunday to reserve frozen goods for households and deploying security forces to protect aid convoys along their routes.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Petroleum Authority has been accused of mishandling gas distribution, with activists claiming some supplies were diverted to restaurants.

A source familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that certain station owners received extra allocations as compensation for transport costs, which they then sold on the black market.

Commenting on the situation, Gaza resident Rami Shahadeh said: “We thought the war ended to bring relief. Instead, it seems it ended so Hamas could resume collecting taxes. We lived an illusion, thinking things would get better, but our endurance has only made us hostages to those exploiting us.”

Features

Unexploded Bombs Sow Fear Among Gazans Under Fragile Truce

An Israeli missile lays on the rubble in the middle of a street next to destroyed houses in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 30 October 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)
An Israeli missile lays on the rubble in the middle of a street next to destroyed houses in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 30 October 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)
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Unexploded Bombs Sow Fear Among Gazans Under Fragile Truce

An Israeli missile lays on the rubble in the middle of a street next to destroyed houses in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 30 October 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)
An Israeli missile lays on the rubble in the middle of a street next to destroyed houses in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 30 October 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)

Moein al-Hattu's home has been ripped apart, its cinder block walls blown out into the street and a dusty grey bomb hangs menacingly from a damaged pillar, its tip resting on a crushed chest of drawers.

Weighing more than a ton, the munition was dropped during an airstrike on Gaza City during fighting between Israel and Hamas but has not exploded -- yet.

"I'm living in terror and unable to remove it," al-Hattu told AFP, as children wandering through the rubble paused to marvel at the threatening intrusion.

The grey-bearded Palestinian wants to hang tarpaulins from the shell of his bombed-out home and move back in, but has been unable to find anyone in Gaza with the skills or equipment to remove the giant bomb.

"The relevant authorities, whether the civil defense or the municipality, say they can't remove it. Who can I go to and complain to?" he demanded.

"If it had exploded, it would have caused massive destruction and destroyed at least five to six houses."

After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million Palestinians, are littered with military debris, including unexploded, still-deadly munitions.

In the streets of Gaza City, children play with rocket parts and the tail fins of mortar shells, oblivious to or unbothered by the danger.

According to a study by charity Handicap International, Israel has dropped around 70,000 tons of explosives on targets in Gaza since Hamas's October 7, 2023 cross-border attack triggered the drawn-out conflict.

In January this year, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) warned that between five and 10 percent of these bombs did not explode, leaving their deadly payloads to be recovered by fighters or discovered by frightened residents.

At Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Nour sat beside a bed holding his two injured children.

The pair watched mute and glassy-eyed, their legs bound and skin flecked with shrapnel as he explained how they had been injured.

"We were setting up our tents and the boys went to look for wood, nylon and cardboard to burn to use for cooking," Nour told AFP.

"About ten meters away from us, we suddenly saw boys being thrown by the explosion. We didn't think they were our children and then we found them scattered in every corner."

Nour's sons may yet keep their limbs but in a nearby bed, six-year-old Yahya has lost part of his right hand and is all but covered in bandages. His grandfather Tawfiq al-Sharbasi sits by him, keeping vigil and strokes his hair.

"These are children. What did they do wrong? They were playing," he said.

Jonathan Crickx, spokesman for UNICEF Palestine, told AFP it was very difficult to estimate how many children have been injured by unexploded ordnance.

"Following the recent ceasefire, we have recorded reports indicating that at least eight children were seriously injured by explosive remnants of war," he said, adding that UN agencies are trying to raise awareness of the threat.

To date, no demining equipment has been authorized to enter the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army.