How Biden’s potential replacements have responded to the post-debate rumors

President Joe Biden’s debate performance on Thursday sent Democrats into a tailspin.

The 81-year-old president’s raspy voice, trailing thoughts, and nonsensical statements launched immediate speculation about whether he could — and should — be replaced at the top of the ticket. On Tuesday, Texas Democrat Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting lawmaker to publicly urge Biden to drop out of the race, saying that he did not come to that decision “lightly.”

But while the Democratic Party has an abundance of young talent, any ambitious politician who comes forward to say Biden should step aside immediately risks ostracization. That may be why, for the time being, only a single sitting Democrat has spoken out about replacing the president at the top of the ticket. Here’s what they’ve been saying instead.

Vice President Kamala Harris

Unsurprisingly, Vice President Kamala Harris has been seen as the most obvious choice to replace Biden given the fact that Democrats elected her alongside the president in 2020. But so far, the vice president has given no indication that she would usurp the Democratic nomination from her boss. In the hours after Biden’s performance, she defended Biden’s performance, saying “Yes, it was a slow start. That's obvious to everyone. I'm not going to debate that point. I'm talking about the choice in November.”

Harris traveled to Las Vegas the day after the debate, and since then, she’s continued to defend the Biden administration.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

The vice president’s relatively low approval ratings and her unwillingness to break from the president have left some to speculate whether Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer would take a crack at running for the White House. Whitmer serves