Biden chews over mounting calls for him to quit 2024 race as Pelosi said to be seeking to avoid Harris coronation

As President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure to drop out of the 2024 presidential race while isolating in Delaware with COVID-19, Nancy Pelosi is reportedly looking to prevent the vice president from automatically taking the nomination.

The California representative hopes to avoid Kamala Harris automatically becoming the Democratic candidate if Biden drops out, Politico and The New York Times report. Earlier this week, reports emerged that the influential Democrat told Biden privately he can’t beat Donald Trump in November.

Pelosi is not against a Harris-led ticket, according to the Times. Instead, Pelosi is advocating for an open nomination process at next month’s Democratic National Convention, arguing that Harris — or any other potential candidate — would be strengthened by earning the title, the Times reports.

Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, made a similar argument on Friday.

“Should he make that decision, there will have to be quick steps,” Lofgren said on MSNBC. “I don’t think we can do a coronation, but obviously the vice president would be the leading candidate.”

An open convention could happen if Biden drops out of the race, as he would surrender the delegates he won during the Democratic primary and leave them free to back someone else at the convention.

In an open convention, new candidates would have to try to convince delegates who were previously pledged to Biden to back them for the nomination.

Pelosi isn’t the only one reportedly urging Biden to not run. Thirty Democratic lawmakers and several influential public figures have called for the president to step down from the ticket.

On Friday, Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts said the president “didn’t seem to recognize him”