Who else can they run?
When you are already running a cadaver, almost any substitute will be an improvement.
Twice since 1976 the Democrats have run a southern state governor who was not a national figure. Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992. Both ran as moderate and highly effective governors. Both won. Neither governed as a moderate but the press did a masterful job of helping to define them for the campaign. The Democrat voter base turned out in large numbers and enough moderates were persuaded so the unknown Democrat won by capturing southern states that normally vote Republican.
Current North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is a possible replacement. He won elections for governor twice, in 2016 and 2020. Trump won NC by small margins in both years. Cooper won the governor’s position by larger margins with Trump on the top of the ballot. NC is a critical state with 16 Electoral College votes and Cooper is still a popular governor among moderates and Democrats. He is a good public speaker and effective debater. There is no hint of personal scandal with him. The NC economy is strong and people are moving in droves to the state.
If Roy Cooper became the Democrat candidate at the convention Trump’s entire campaign strategy blows up. He suddenly faces a very healthy and active 66 year old which makes Trump’s age an issue. There is no hint of corruption with Cooper or his family. By all economic measures Cooper has been effective running one of the fastest growing sunbelt states with a GOP majority legislature. He can easily run as a successful sensible moderate which will be attractive to independent voters and Republican women who dislike Trump. Cooper has none of the negative attributes of Biden. Plus he comes across well on television and can confidently talk issues on his feet.
As a Washington outsider he can diffuse Trump’s number one issue, the border, by simply acknowledging it is a big problem and needs “new thinking”. Imagine him turning to Trump in a debate and saying, “I’m open to listening to all ideas for fixing the border problems. The day after I am elected, why don’t we meet for a few hours and talk about your ideas in detail.
As for debates, Trump would suddenly find himself facing a formidable candidate happy to have multiple debates, including on Fox News. Imagine Trump in full attack mode criticizing Cooper for all of the failings of the Biden administration. Cooper can look at Trump, smile and say, “I’m not Joe Biden”.
Looking at Electoral College votes Cooper has the potential to secure North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Arizona for the Democrats. Add solid Democrat states and he walks into office. He is the perfect stealth candidate to win election as a moderate and govern as a strong progressive.
I live here in North Carolina. Roy Cooper is not that popular. We elected a Republican supermajority in the state legislature AND we flipped the state supreme court from 6-1 Democrat to 5-2 Republican over the last two elections.
They might try to run Cooper in the future but he’s got baggage. He has masqueraded as a moderate when in reality he is anything but. He publicly supported BLM and mask mandates and he never met a gun grab he did not support. He was against a bunch of thing that the majority of voters in this state wanted - which is why the state legislature has stuffed one veto after another down his throat.
I tend to think the Democrats more likely to try to run Gestapo Gretchen from Michigan next time.