Who could replace Joe Biden after car crash election debate if Democrats can topple him?

After the horror, the hope. As Democrats process the true awfulness of Joe Biden’s performance in Thursday night’s presidential debate, the conversation has inevitably turned to an equally compelling topic: Who could replace him and perhaps wrest victory from Donald Trump on Nov. 5?

However, Plan B also has complications.

No serious Democratic candidate has emerged to challenge Biden, the incumbent president. The obvious candidates continue to publicly declare their loyalty to him.

There is no time to run new ballots for the primaries. Besides, the Democrats have already gone through the process and chosen Biden as their candidate.

Under party rules, delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August (where the party’s presidential candidate is formally nominated) remain obligated to support him — unless Biden himself announces he is leaving the race.

The Convention would then take on the responsibility of voting on an alternative, of which there are many options. Biden, however, is notoriously stubborn, ominously telling supporters, “Let’s keep going,” shortly after leaving the debate stage in Atlanta.

Party insiders believe First Lady Jill Biden can play a crucial role in convincing her husband to resign.

His former boss Barack Obama (Biden was his vice president) could also push him in that direction.

And if he were to voluntarily step aside at the party convention, triggering a completely new vote, Democrats would avoid accepting Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s automatic successor.

Some experts have argued that ignoring a black woman would cast a huge shadow over the views of some Democrats.

But the general view is that running for office makes absolutely no sense and is almost guaranteed to hand victory to Trump.

The very unimpressive ‘Veep’ actually has worse approval ratings than Biden.

If not Kamala, who could save the day for the Democrats?

Below are some of the most common names:

GRETCHEN WHITMER

The 52-year-old Michigan governor is at the top of many Democratic wish lists after making Biden’s shortlist of potential running mates in 2020.

She is very popular in the swing state and is a moderate party figure who has risen quickly within the party.

“That woman in Michigan,” as Trump calls her, is a former prosecutor and mother of two who supports stricter gun laws and an end to abortion.

In 2020, the FBI famously foiled a plot by a right-wing militia group to kidnap Whitmer after antagonizing conservatives with its harsh response to the Covid pandemic.

She has a memoir out next month that some say was perfectly timed for a potential presidential run.

She often seems refreshingly normal. Earlier this week, Whitmer admitted she got so drunk she threw up on her principal while talking about her childhood. “Not my best day,” she admitted.

GAVIN NIEUWSOM

Often mentioned in the same breath as Whitmer, the smooth and telegenic California governor has considerably more baggage, and some experts believe that excludes him.

First, there is Newsom’s record in the Golden State, where he was responsible for a huge budget deficit.

Crime and homelessness are devastating cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. And he is far too woke for the rest of the United States, critics say.

And then there is his colorful personal history. Newsom, 56, comes from California’s aristocracy and, as mayor of San Francisco, once stretched out on a silk carpet with his first wife Kimberly Guilfoyle (now fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. and a loyal Trump campaign manager) for a photo shoot for a glossy magazine .

In 2007, Newsom admitted to having a drinking problem, days after it emerged that he had had an affair with the wife of his best friend and campaign manager, which had destroyed his friend’s marriage.

He married Jennifer Siebel in 2008 and they have four children.

His past behavior will not impress voters if he comes under intense media scrutiny as a candidate for the White House.

J.B. PRITZKER

Another state governor, this time of Illinois, Pritzker, 59, is a venture capitalist billionaire.

He is also heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, and thus has the considerable advantage of being able to pour a lot of money into a presidential campaign. But in other areas he lacks the polish of rivals like Whitmer or Newsom.

He legalized recreational cannabis, declared Illinois a “sanctuary state” for women seeking abortions and oversaw a ban on assault rifles — all solid, but predictable, Democratic goals.

In 2018, a Chicago newspaper revealed that Pritzker had removed all the toilets from a mansion he bought next to his own home. This made the house officially “uninhabitable” and made him eligible for a valuable property tax reduction.

JOSH SHAPIRO

The 51-year-old Pennsylvania governor is a rising star in the party and one of the moderate Democratic politicians many experts believe is best positioned to challenge Trump.

Shapiro, a Conservative Jew who observes the Sabbath and keeps a kosher kitchen, has the advantage of having been an effective steward of a crucial battleground state.

A recent poll found that more than three in 20 Trump supporters said they really like him.

He is also a strong debater, but like some other governors who could be considered, he lacks national recognition. In addition to a sudden influx of donations, Shapiro also lacks the money needed to mount a strong presidential campaign.

Moreover, he has only been governor of a state for a year and a half. Some experts think he is a better option for the 2028 elections.

ANDY BESHEAR

With so few undecided voters left, a candidate who can win over rival party supporters could be crucial in November. Enter Andy Beshear, who twice managed to become the Democratic governor of the deeply Republican state of Kentucky — no small feat.

He is one of America’s most popular governors and less well-known than anyone else on this list. At 46, he might not have experience.

Still, at least one Democratic donor mentioned him yesterday as a possible successor to Biden.

The seemingly innocent lawyer, who serves as a deacon at the church with his wife Britainy, is a die-hard moderate and recently formed a political action committee to support candidates who eschew “the politics of anger, division and hate.”

But there are questions about how much he actually wants to be president and how much left-wing Democrats will warm to him.

As a Washington Post columnist noted, “He’s either very sincere, kind and nice — or he fakes it all very well.”