Despite Biden's Harris endorsement, Democrats still face unclear path toward nominee

President Joe Biden jolted the political world by abruptly ending his re-election campaign. And though he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party presidential nominee, her ascent is far from a sure thing as other hopefuls are expected to emerge in the coming days. 

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison pledged a "transparent and orderly process" to find a nominee who can beat Donald Trump.

However, Harrison was unclear with the Democratic National Convention – in which essentially the candidate with the most  delegates is traditionally officially nominated – just weeks away. 

"In short order, the American people will hear from the Democratic Party on next steps and the path forward for the nomination process," Harrison said.

Biden won every state or territory nominating contest, with the exception of American Samoa. In so doing, he beat back primary challenges from Hollywood guru Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips.

The 81-year-old Biden's announcement followed weeks of pressure from party heavyweights to get him to step aside after his June 27 debate against GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, in which his performance reignited concerns about cognitive decline.

Biden in endorsing Harris said: "I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala ... . Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

Harris soon after pledged her intention to "earn and win this nomination.”

Within hours of the Biden endorsement, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Harris.

However, former President Barack Obama in his support for Biden's decision to step aside and his praise of Biden's career in public service did not endorse her. 

“I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” he said.

Some Democrats have expressed concerns that the party “elite” trying to bypass Harris and handpick their own preferred candidate.

“If you think that there is consensus among the people who want Joe Biden to leave that they will support Vice President Harris, you would be mistaken,” said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said last week in an Instagram Live.

In addition, Biden earlier this month attempted to stay in the race by arguing in a letter to Capitol Hill Democrats that choosing another nominee after the primary season had concluded would essentially render the primary electorate’s decision meaningless.

“I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process," he said. "I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin.

"This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chosen to challenge me. One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated.”

Polling data had already begun to show Trump with a growing lead over Biden and Harris doing only slightly better.

A recent CBS News poll showed Trump with a three-point lead over Harris (51% to 48%) in a hypothetical matchup.

The poll, conducted last week, showed Trump led Biden by five points (52%-47%). The poll, which surveyed 2,247 registered voters, had a margin of error of 2.7 points, according to The Hill newspaper. 

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X.