With President Biden now out of the running, the Democratic Party is already looking ahead to what’s next.
Right now there is no official Democratic nominee. While it’s still possible other candidates could step forward, Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination. She has already received the endorsement of Mr. Biden and other high-profile Democrats.
Harris, in her first statement following Mr. Biden’s announcement, said “my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
To become the nominee, candidates have to secure the necessary support from the party’s delegates. This could happen either at an upcoming virtual roll call, expected to take place early August, or during what’s known as an open convention. The DNC Rules Committee is meeting this Wednesday to discuss next steps for the party’s nomination process.
Read on to learn more about these events and other key dates to watch out for.
DNC Rules Committee meeting: July 24
The Rules Committee, which is tasked with making sure the presidential nomination runs smoothly, will meet virtually to discuss the process for selecting the next presidential candidate. The meeting will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m ET. The public can watch on the DNC’s YouTube page.
Virtual Roll Call: Expected between Aug. 1-7
The virtual roll call would allow a candidate to officially lock up the nomination before the in-person Democratic National Convention. It is expected to take place in early August. The exact date is still up in the air, but the Rules Committee could announce it after the July 24 meeting concludes. In a press call Monday night, chair Jaime Harrison told reporters the roll call will happen before Aug. 7.
David Becker, a CBS News contributor and the executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research said that as long as Democrats have a nominee before the end of August, they’re in the clear. States have different deadlines for candidates to qualify and be formally placed on the ballot, he said, but that deadline is in late August for every state.
 “If they leave their convention with a nominee, they will have met all the legal requirements for all 50 states,” Becker said.
Democrats had been planning a virtual roll call vote to formally nominate Mr. Biden before he announced that he was dropping his bid for reelection. Now the attention shifts to Harris as the likely nominee. If she receives a majority of the pledged delegates during the expected roll call vote, she will become the Democratic nominee before the convention.Â
However, if the virtual roll call doesn’t happen, there would be what’s called an open convention, where candidates would have to convince delegates to back them to secure the nomination at the DNC.Â
Becker, however, doesn’t think Democrats will reach this juncture.Â
“I would say the possibility of that happening is about as likely as us having a beautiful 65-degree-with-no-humidity summer in D.C.,” he said. “With the state delegations that have already pledged to Kamala, it’s very likely this will be resolved fairly soon,” he said.
CBS News has been tracking the number of delegates who are backing Harris, and by Tuesday morning, 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 — they can vote for whomever they choose.
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.”
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, said Becker.Â
“We’re not going with the Commission on Presidential Debates, as we have in the past,” he said. “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)