Democrats wrestle with whether Harris would be stronger than Biden

Democrats are wrestling over the question of whether Vice President Harris would be a stronger candidate than President Biden to head the Democratic ticket after last week’s race-altering debate.

Harris has made it clear in recent days that she fully supports Biden’s continued bid for a second term and is not angling to replace him.

But Democratic aides and strategists say privately that Biden’s fate could depend on what polls show over the next few weeks, and they warn that if he falls substantially further behind former President Trump, it could prompt widespread calls among Democrats for the president to drop his reelection bid.

Democrats have generally stuck with Biden, but cracks emerged Tuesday, with Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) becoming the first sitting House member to call on the president to step aside.