In November, Americans go to the polls to choose their next president. As things stand now, it is current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump who will probably meet in the ring.
At 81 years old, Biden is the oldest person in history to have held the office of president in the United States. His age and general health have been frequently discussed topics in recent years, and several surveys have shown that many Americans believe Biden is simply too old to be president.
If Biden has to throw in the towel before the election, who can take over?
Here you can read more about the election in the USA!
Timing is crucial, especially for Kamala Harris
Eirik Løkke works as a consultant at the think tank Civita. Photo: CF-Wesenberg/kolonihaven.no
– It entirely depends on whether it happens before or after the national meeting, says USA expert Eirik Løkke to ABC Nyheter.
– If it is after the national meeting, it is Kamala Harris who will end up as presidential candidate because she will be the vice-presidential candidate at the national meeting.
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The Democratic National Convention takes place in Chicago, Illinois in August. The Republicans will hold theirs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July.
– Let’s say something dramatic happens to Biden’s health before the meeting in August. Then there will be an open national meeting and the delegates will then debate their way to a candidate, and then Kamala Harris is not the favourite, explains Løkke.
– Win!
– She will probably be relevant by virtue of her position, but if you ask Democrats in the US, they are probably not very impressed by her efforts as vice president. At the same time, opinion polls show that she is unpopular among many voters, and at an open national meeting, questions will be raised as to whether she can win a presidential election.
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Watch video: Biden is ridiculed in the worst way
The grin from California
Gavin Newson is the governor of the US’s most populous state, California. With his broad smile and smooth lick, he is a man who is often brought forward when it comes to speculation about who might take over if Biden’s presidential plans were to go down the drain.
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– He seems to be running a kind of shadow election campaign, perhaps in case something happens to Biden. He is a popular governor of California, he is young, he has a good mix of experience and renewal. Politically, he is quite center-oriented.
– He looks a bit presidential too. It matters, Løkke points out.
Earlier this year, Newsom defended both the physical and mental health of 81-year-old Biden. In an interview in February, the popular governor said it was because of age that Biden had succeeded and that Democrats needn’t worry.
Speculation that someone would take over for Biden as a presidential candidate Newsom described as empty talk.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (centre of the picture) met Crown Prince Haakon and then Minister of Business Jan Christian Vestre earlier in April. Photo: Jeff Chiu / AP / NTB
Buttigieg and Whitmer
Løkke’s list of possible heirs also includes Transport Minister Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
– The latter is a woman, which is an independent point for many liberal voters in the USA.
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Buttigieg was a presidential candidate the last time the Americans had to nominate who would take control of the US government. With that, he became the first openly gay candidate to run.
He later withdrew from the primaries and stood behind Biden, whom he appointed as transport minister in his administration.
Gretchen Whitmer has been governor of the rust belt state of Michigan since 2019. She sat in the House of Representatives between 2000 and 2006.
In 2020, she came into the spotlight when she asked Donald Trump to tone down the rhetoric she believes contributed to her planned abduction by far-right militia groups.