The loss of Vice President Kamala Harris to President-elect Donald Trump puts the Democratic Party in the unfortunate position of not having a clear leader in the coming months.
If President Biden and Harris leave office in January, Democrats will be left without a candidate, presenting an opportunity for some of the party's top figures to fill the void.
Here are the most likely candidates:
Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could play a major role in shepherding the Democratic Party over the next four years. He has led the Democrats in the Senate for decades, and with Representative Nancy Pelosi stepping down from leadership in Congress, he is the most senior Democrat left in the branch.
Now he will have to contend with the Republican majority in the Senate, however.
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The loss of Vice President Kamala Harris leaves the Democratic Party without a clear leader. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
Hakeem Jeffries
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., presented a narrow alternative to Schumer as Pelosi's replacement in the House of Representatives. Jeffries is sure to play a key role in Democrats' efforts to disrupt the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress over the next four years.
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Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is widely thought to have national ambitions, and the vacancy left by Biden and Harris could be the opportunity he's been looking for. Newsom has said she will enter Biden's re-election campaign early in the 2024 cycle, and is already making plays to position herself as a front-runner against Trump.
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro may also position himself as the Democratic leader. Tired of Harris as VP-elect, he is now free from the political fallout from his loss that has ousted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Shapiro enjoys an approval rating of over 60% in Pennsylvania, arguably the most important state to win the presidency.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro looks on as President Joe Biden delivers his remarks after a briefing on emergency relief and reconstruction efforts on Interstate-95, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Julia Nikhinson/AFP via Getty Images)
Pete Buttigieg
While “Mayor Pete” has played a quiet role under the Biden administration as secretary of transportation, the Biden-Harris departure could give him an opportunity to resume his meteoric rise within the Democratic Party.
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Buttigieg earned a position in the party's top tier with his performance in the 2019 Democratic primary, but it is unclear what role he will play after the Biden administration ends.
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