It seems that Representative Summer Lee has joined the K-Hive.
The Pennsylvania Democrat on Wednesday joined the steadily growing chorus of Democratic leaders sounding the alarm over concerns about President Joe Biden’s candidacy, pitching Vice President Kamala Harris as the “obvious choice” to replace him should he choose to withdraw.
“Maybe folks don’t want to hear, but we have timing that is running out. Time is not on our side,” Lee said during a radio interview, according to CBS News.
“We have a few months to do a monumental task. It’s not cheap and it’s not easy. If our president decides this is not a pathway forward for him, we have to move very quickly,” she continued. “There’s not going to be time for a primary. That time is past.”
“The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s sitting right there. She’s already been in the White House. And has the name recognition. And has been on the trail,” Lee said.
She also remarked that the “optics of pushing a Black woman aside” were “not good.”
While Lee is correct in saying that Harris would not have the chance to primary, it’s worth noting that she would be the only other Democrat who could access the $91.2 million that Biden has raised as part of his campaign, some campaign finance experts told NBC. That’s just another reason why she might be considered a top candidate to replace Biden.
On Tuesday, Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett became the first House member to formally call on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, and Representative Jim Clyburn said he would support Harris “if [Biden] were to step aside.”
Like Clyburn, Lee’s comments stopped short of urging the president to withdraw his candidacy. Still, her comments make clear that Democrats are beginning to look elsewhere for leadership following last week’s unwieldy presidential debate.
