In 2016, Mike Pence won 815,699 votes in the GOP gubernatorial primary. And after Pence dropped out of the race to become Donald Trump’s running mate, Eric Holcomb ultimately became the nominee following a private meeting of 22 influential party leaders.
I don’t recall anyone at that time saying democracy had been stolen or subverted, or that voters were ignored.
It isn’t all that different than what happened when President Joe Biden decided to bow out following his primary wins.
And now more than 4,000 Democratic delegates will choose a replacement nominee when they do a virtual roll call in the coming weeks. More than half have already informally pledged their support to Vice President Kamala Harris. Anyone can choose to challenge her by filing with the support of 300 delegates.
Is it messy? Yes, just like it was back in 2016. But there are rules and laws in place that anticipate that it could happen. It isn’t some big conspiracy.
Timeline
I don’t think even Biden’s worst critics could have expected that he would fail so miserably during the June 27 debate.
That starts a crescendo of concern: at first quiet, but then full-throated panic.
As the pressure mounts, a gunman attempts to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a July 13 rally. The move solidifies his Republican support and gives him a bump in the race.
Then, on July 17, Biden tests positive with COVID-19 — likely reminding voters of his age and frailty. The crescendo grows.
Simultaneously, the Republican National Convention occurs in Milwaukee. Trump picks a running mate and officially accepts the GOP nomination amid a raucous and united crowd.
By last Friday, July 19, several colleagues and I considered the over/under on whether Biden would withdraw over the weekend. Saturday was quiet but a Sunday tweet on July 21 changed the race for good.
Within days, thousands of delegates have lined up behind Harris.
Now, Democrats have momentum.
Back to policy
In just a few days Harris’ candidacy will likely be official via a virtual roll call vote of Democrat delegates.
But don’t fall for misinformation or flat-out lies — several pro-Trump websites this week had a list of states where candidate deadlines had allegedly already passed and suggested laws were being broken.
Indiana was on the list, which is completely inaccurate. There is one deadline for most candidates but a separate law for when presidential candidates have to be certified from the political conventions – that’s Sept. 10.
I imagine several other states on that list are similarly wrong.
Now it’s time to focus on the real issues of a campaign.
Both Harris and Trump need to talk policy: border security, health care costs, federal borrowing, social security, inflation, infrastructure, taxes, abortion, Ukraine. It’s not as popular as red meat attacks but it’s better for voters.
Let’s dispense with the conspiracy theories and get to the matters that matter.
Niki Kelly is editor-in-chief of indianacapitalchronicle.com, where this commentary first appeared. She has covered Indiana politics and the Indiana Statehouse since 1999 for publications including the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Send comments to [email protected].
