Julian Zelizer writes:

If President Joe Biden decides to withdraw from the election, Democrats need not fear — they have a ticket in front of them that can still defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Not only would a ticket with Kamala Harris as president and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as her running mate have the best odds of getting the party through this moment of crisis, but also the potential to excite voters and produce a historic outcome. To be sure, there are serious risks. At the same time, this could present an exciting opportunity for Democrats.

This combination would satisfy the axiom put forth by the brilliant Democratic strategist David Axelrod in 2016, when he explained why Trump defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. While he was referring to open-seat presidential elections, the wisdom still applies: “Voters rarely seek the replica of what they have. They almost always seek the remedy, the candidate who has the personal qualities the public finds lacking in the departing executive.”

Should Biden step aside, a presidential candidate who is Black, Asian American and decades younger may provide the change voters are craving. The two-woman ticket would create a stark contrast with Trump; while the former president would represent more of the same, Harris and Whitmer would offer a fresh vision of what America is all about.

A Harris-Whitmer campaign could also deal the ultimate blow to a Republican campaign that has revolved around strength defined by toxic masculinity. But this ticket would be more than symbolic. Both Harris and Whitmer have been passionate and effective champions of what could be the defining issue in 2024: reproductive rights. Polls have shown strong national support for legal abortion. Harris and Whitmer would be convincing foils to Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for overturning Roe v. Wade by nominating three conservative justices to the Supreme Court. [Continue reading…]