The Perils of Choosing a New Nominee at the Convention

Ray LaRaja: “In calling for a Biden replacement, Democrats need to reckon with the possibility that the party is ill-prepared for an old-fashioned convention. It may be unrealistic to think that party leaders and delegates with no experience in convention politics will coalesce around the best possible candidate.”

“Conventions are not necessarily a bad way to choose a nominee. In fact many political scientists believe it is a better way than primaries. Through party conventions the Republicans chose Abraham Lincoln and Democrats picked Franklin D. Roosevelt. But that was an era when party barons across the country helped make these decisions…”

“Today, conventions are four-day advertisements for the nominee, who is chosen through a series of state primaries. If Biden steps down now, with no time for primaries, Democrats would be asking untested delegates to organize a process, deliberate, and unify around a candidate. The party could be in for a rough ride in full display before the entire country.”