Politico reports:

Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, a top ally of Joe Biden, said Wednesday that if the president steps aside from the election, he would expect to see a “mini-primary” ahead of the Democratic National Convention with Kamala Harris and Democratic governors vying for the top two spots on the party’s ticket.

Responding to a question on CNN about whether Harris should be the party’s automatic nominee if the president were to step aside or if there should be a “mini-primary” between several candidates, Clyburn (D-S.C.) said: “Well, I think we’re going to have a mini-primary leading into the convention,” describing the virtual roll call needed to appear on the Ohio ballot.

He added, “You can actually fashion the process that’s already in place to make it a mini-primary, and I would support that absolutely. We can’t close that down, and we should open up everything for the general election.”

A spokesperson for Clyburn emphasized in a statement to POLITICO that the congressman was answering “a hypothetical question” in his CNN appearance. [Continue reading…]