Rep. Nancy Pelosi recently expressed that the Democratic nomination process was undermined by a lack of a truly open primary following Pres. Biden's swift endorsement of VP Kamala Harris according to Breitbart.
On July 21, following a notably poor performance in a debate, President Joe Biden decided to end his re-election bid. His announcement was quickly followed by a strong endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The endorsement lent Harris immediate prominence among the Democratic hopefuls, cementing her position as the frontrunner.
Fox News reported that Kamala Harris secured the Democratic nomination in less than 36 hours after Biden's backing, a speed that left little room for other potential candidates to mount a significant challenge.
Initially, Pelosi praised the swiftness with which Harris was able to secure the nomination. In August, statements made to the Wall Street Journal indicated Pelosi viewed the primary as broadly inclusive, stating, "It was an open process, anyone could have gotten in."
Additionally, in September, speaking to Semafor’s Kadia Goba, Pelosi remarked that Harris taking off quickly with the nomination was a blessing considering the proximity to the election.
However, the narrative took a contrasting turn on November 9, during Pelosi’s appearance on The New York Times' podcast, "The Interview." In the podcast, Pelosi articulated a varied opinion from her previous public remarks. She suggested that if President Biden had withdrawn earlier, it might have enabled a broader field of candidates to compete, facilitating what she considered a genuine open primary.
Pelosi explained the situation, highlighting that the immediate endorsement of Harris by Biden post-withdrawal played a substantial role in discouraging other potential candidates.
"Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race. ...And as I say, Kamala may have, I think she would have done well in [a primary] and been stronger going forward. But we don’t know that. That didn’t happen. We live with what happened," Pelosi noted during the podcast.
This stance reflects a significant shift from Pelosi's earlier comments which described the primaries as competitive and open.
"And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had been much earlier, it would have been different," Pelosi added.
Adding to her comments, Pelosi recalled urging Biden to step aside in July, a conversation that marked the last communication between the former Speaker and Biden. This revelation adds another layer to the unfolding narrative of the 2024 Democratic primary, setting a historical context to the recent electoral processes.
Pelosi stood by her previous statements underlining that it was technically possible for other candidates to enter the race.
She reiterated, “No, I didn’t change my mind. We had an open primary; she [Harris] won it. Nobody else got in the race. Yes, people could have jumped in — some people were sort of preparing, but she just took off with it, and actually, it was a blessing because there was not that much time between then and the election, and it sort of saved time.” These remarks starkly contrast with her acknowledgment of the restrictive nature of the process post-Biden's endorsement.
The debate about what constitutes an open primary and the influence of presidential endorsements on the democratic process has been brought to the forefront by Pelosi's evolving remarks.
This situation not only underscores the internal dynamics of the Democratic Party but also propels discussion about the nature of democratic elections in a broader sense.