RICHMOND, Va. -- With President Joe Biden's decision to bow out of the 2024 Presidential race, the question becomes who will replace him atop the Democratic ticket and how will that person be selected.
Dr. John Aughenbaugh, Associate Professor of Political Science at VCU, said while how a new nominee is selected is unclear, it is becoming more and more likely it will be Vice President Kamala Harris.
"It would surprise me, after what we've seen in less than 24 hours, if the Democratic party nominee is not Kamala Harris," Aughenbaugh said.
Aughenbaugh said under Democratic party rules the over delegates Biden won during the primary are now, in theory, "free agents" and are not obligated to vote for someone else at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month.
But, Aughenbaugh said the a rules committee of the DNC will meet on Wednesday to determine if the delegates will have a chance to have their say at the convention or if they would hold a vote on an earlier date. He said the latter option is likely for several reasons, including potential concerns the party needs to submit their nominee prior to the convention in order to make it on to the ballot in Ohio.
"It would also allow them to say we already have our nominee and the convention becomes your standard political party convention that we've seen over roughly the last quarter century, maybe even as far back as the infamous 1968 Democratic Party National Convention in Chicago which was messy and chaotic," he added. "Political parties want to avoid that. They want their national convention to be a time to mobilize behind a candidate and energize the base for the upcoming election. If you don't have a candidate already chosen, you're expending a lot of time and a lot of energy trying to figure out who your presidential nominee will be. And the party's don't like that. I mean, it just looks bad."
Watch: What will Virginia's 119 delegates do now?
Whenever a vote is held, whoever is running will need to win 1,976 delegates for the nomination. But, Aughenbaugh said that by Monday morning it was becoming likely Harris would be the only candidate as she gotten endorsements from Biden and other top Democrats, including people whose names had been floated as possible contenders for the nomination.
Among those already stating they would support Harris is Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who is one of Virginia's 119 convention delegates and eight alternates.
"I've signed myself up on that team as well. I believe she's the best person, the most qualified individual for the job," said Stoney.
Stoney said he was in full support of Biden remaining, but praised his decision to step down.
"I think it wasn't one of the most selfless things I've seen in politics in America," he added. "I am grateful for the leadership of President Joe Biden."
Stoney is considered what is known as a superdelegate (a party leader or elected official) and would not be allowed to vote in the first round of the convention. He and other superdelegates (who are not pledged to a candidate in the first place) could vote in the following rounds if no candidate receives the majority of the vote.
The Associated Press said an unofficial survey of delegates showed over half of the required convention delegates already said they would vote for Harris as of Monday afternoon.
Stoney said he hoped the Virginia delegation would vote to announce its unanimous support for Harris like other delegations have done, including North Carolina.
Who Becomes Vice President?
Should Harris secure the presidential nomination, it would open up a vice presidential spot on the ticket.
Aughenbaugh said according to the rules of the Democratic Party, the party could pick the nominee.
"Now I suspect, if it looks like Kamala Harris will be the overwhelming choice to be the presidential nominee the party will defer to her wishes as to whom she will pick to be vice president," he said. "But, technically, according to the rules of the party, since there is no nominee prior to the convention…the party would then be get to pick who would be the vice president. And historically, that was not all that unusual. Even somebody like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt -- pretty much all of his vice presidential running mates were picked by the party, including Harry Truman."
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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