Ohio may prevent in-person DNC chaos
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Marvin Wells yells on the floor during day two of the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Last week's presidential debate debacle has sparked lots of talk of a wild, brokered Democratic National Convention next month — but not so fast.
The big picture: Thanks to the state of Ohio, the party's nominee will have to be finalized virtually, weeks before the actual convention.
Catch up quick: Ohio election law requires political parties to certify the presidential ticket by Aug. 7.
- But the DNC in Chicago — where Joe President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were set to be officially renominated — is scheduled for Aug. 19-22.
- Ohio lawmakers did not initially reach a deal to change the state's certification deadline, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has since signed legislation to move back the state's deadline.
- Democrats claim they are skeptical that it will hold, citing Ohio Republican "shenanigans."
The intrigue: Now that there are questions about Biden's candidacy, this hiccup could loom large.
- If Biden does step down from the ticket, which seems unlikely, potential replacements like Gov. JB Pritzker would have less time to campaign for the nomination.
The latest: Bloomberg reports that the DNC is considering moving up the virtual nomination to mid-July.
Between the lines: Democrats could just skip Ohio, which voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, but other Ohio Democrats down the ballot, like U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, would suffer greatly without a boost from presidential vote turnout.
- Brown faces Republican challenger Bernie Moreno in a crucial race that could swing the balance of the Senate.
- If Biden drops out, Democrat leaders have suggested that Ohio Republicans could meet to alter their deadline, but that's unlikely.
Reality check: Brokered conventions are rare. You'd have to go back to the early 1950s for the last time it happened, although there are many cases of candidates not having enough delegates to win the nomination before getting to their respective political conventions.
- But usually that is resolved through back-door politics.
By the numbers: To get the nomination, a candidate needs to secure 1,968 out of the 3,933 pledged delegates on the first ballot.
The bottom line: The wild and chaotic scene of delegates yelling for multiple candidates would be more for show, while the real drama of replacing Biden on the ticket would take place weeks before, over Zoom.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Ohio's governor has signed legislation into law that moves back the state's ballot deadline.