Staff Reports
President Joe Biden has decided to cling to his presidential campaign, even after a cringe-worthy debate performance with Democrats biting their nails about his chances against former President Donald Trump. It’s almost as if the DNC is saying, “Come on, man!” as they hope beyond hope that their nominee can hold it together.
While a herd of Democrats relentlessly back Biden, a pocket of the party is quietly pleading for him to take a bow and let Vice President Kamala Harris or another champion take the baton. Their whispered conversations are growing louder as we approach the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
Democratic deadlines: When key states need to know whose name to print on ballots – Washington Examiner https://t.co/o6KLDEfmwn
— Melanie (@MellieMAGA) July 8, 2024
Biden insists he’s the guy for the job, chuckling off concerns about his mental sharpness and White House stamina. But the tension is tightening, especially considering the looming deadlines. If Sleepy Joe intends to step down, he had better do it fast enough to allow states to rejig their ballots.
The key battleground states are already laying down the law. Arizona will start sending early ballots on Oct. 9, marking the need for a quick candidate switch after the conventions. Georgia’s deadline for election ballot info is set at Aug. 9, followed by absentee ballot preparations on Sept. 17. Maryland waits till Sept. 2 to certify ballots, while Michigan’s county clerks must ready absentee ballots by Sept. 21 to start mailing them only five days later.
In Pennsylvania, the deadline for a candidate to remove themselves from the ballot is Aug. 12, which is awkwardly close to the DNC’s Chicago shindig. The ballot names get finalized by Aug. 27. Virginia’s stringent deadline mandates presidential ballots be printed by Sept. 21, a full 45 days before actual Election Day. Lastly, Wisconsin demands absentee ballots be mailed by Sept. 19 as the GOP gears up for their convention in Milwaukee.
Remember, Trump clinched Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 2016, only for them to pivot to Biden in 2020. As the fog of election season wraps the country once again, one thing’s for certain: Biden better find a way to dazzle, or else it’s deja vu all over again, with Hillary Clinton’s missed opportunity lurking in the shadows.
