Now that Biden is out, what's next for Democrats? Here's a timeline of key dates
With President Biden now out of the running, the Democratic Party is looking ahead to what's next.
From Aug. 1-5, the party will hold a virtual roll call to select their new nominee. Vice President Kamala Harris is the only candidate who met the necessary requirements to qualify, meaning she will be running unopposed.
Since President Biden's announcement just over a week ago, the party has swiftly aligned behind Harris. She's racked up enough delegate support to become the Democratic nominee for president, as well as endorsements from Mr. Biden and other high-profile Democrats.
In her first statement following Mr. Biden's decision, Harris said "my intention is to earn and win this nomination."
Read on for a download of the key dates ahead for the Democratic Party.
Virtual Roll Call: Aug. 1-5
According to Democratic Party leaders, delegates can cast their vote electronically on an online DNC-run platform beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 1. The voting window will close at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 5.
Each of the 4,000 pledged delegates will get a personalized and watermarked form to cast their vote.
The DNC said they will keep the Harris campaign abreast of the results as the process unfolds, and share a full count once the roll call is completed.
The virtual roll call allows a candidate to officially lock up the nomination before the in-person Democratic National Convention. Democrats had been planning a virtual vote since May to formally nominate Mr. Biden before he announced that he was dropping his bid for reelection.
To appear on the virtual roll call ballot, candidates needed to file paperwork with the DNC and obtain digital signatures from at least 300 delegates, with no more than 50 from a single state, by July 30 at 6 p.m. ET. Harris is the only candidate who met the necessary threshold to qualify.
CBS News has been tracking the number of delegates who are backing Harris, and by July 23, enough delegates had pledged their support to Harris for her to clinch the nomination. The delegates who previously pledged support for Mr. Biden are not automatically committed to Harris, but most of them quickly announced their support for her.
Once a majority of the pledged delegates vote for Harris during the virtual roll call, she will offically become the Democratic nominee.
Deadline for Harris to pick vice president: Aug. 7
The DNC Rules Committee said that the party's candidate — which is all but certain to be Harris — must pick a running mate by Aug. 7, in order to comply with Ohio's current ballot deadline.
Harris is expected to campaign with her VP pick in battleground states next week, according to sources familiar with the plans. CBS Philadelphia reports they will appear together at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Democratic National Convention: Aug. 19-22
Between delegates, visitors and the media, approximately 70,000 people are expected to attend this year's convention in Chicago. The events will be split between two venues: United Center will host evening activities while McCormick Place will host daytime sessions.
DNC Chair Minyon Moore issued a statement emphasizing that while there will be a new presidential nominee, the original goal of the convention has not changed.
"Here in Chicago, our mission remains the same," she wrote. "During the convention, we will have an opportunity to show the country and the world who Democrats are and what we stand for."
President Biden is expected to give a prime-time speech on the first night of the DNC convention in Chicago, according to sources familiar with the planning.
VP and presidential nominees formally accept: Expected Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, respectively
If this year's DNC is in keeping with the schedule of past conventions, the nominee for vice president will accept the nomination with a speech on Wednesday, Aug. 21, followed by the presidential nominee on the final night of the convention, Thursday, Aug. 22.
Second presidential debate: Planned for Sept. 10, but in question
The second presidential debate was originally set to be hosted by ABC News on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. ET. However, the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to that plan before Mr. Biden left the race, and there are a lot of question marks around whether it will happen.
"We're not going with the Commission on Presidential Debates, as we have in the past," said David Becker, a CBS News contributor and the executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. "So it basically depends upon the agreement of the candidates."
In a post on Truth Social on July 21, former President Donald Trump said he now thinks the debate should be on Fox News instead of ABC.
"Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate, with whomever the Radical Left Democrats choose, should be held on FoxNews," he wrote.
Election Day: Nov. 5
Many states have different periods for early voting, culminating in Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.
In line with past elections, the final count won't be known on election night, and the outcome in some states may not be clear for several days while ballots are still being counted.
Other key dates:
- First state to mail out absentee ballots (North Carolina): Sept. 6
- Deadline to mail ballots to military and overseas voters: Sept. 21 (45 days before Election Day)
