Democrats will not hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate US President Joe Biden until at least August, after an outcry from some who believed the process was being rushed at his behest to head off calls for him to stand aside.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pushed for the Democratic National Committee to make the change after consulting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The party will still undertake the process virtually - rather than at the party convention in Chicago in late August - but there will not be any delegate votes cast in July, Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Leah Daughtry, who head the convention’s rules committee, said in a letter to delegates.

“That virtual vote won’t happen before the first of August, and we just need to get it done, probably by Aug 15,” Walz told reporters on Wednesday at a press conference in Milwaukee. He dismissed the controversy over the issue as “a parlour game”.

Democrats had considered holding the vote as early as July 21, when the convention’s credentials committee meets virtually.

The party was discussing such a move even before Biden’s debate performance prompted alarm from allies, because Ohio had an Aug 7 deadline for candidates to be certified for the ballot. While a new state law pushed that date back, moving up Biden’s formal nomination could would essentially render moot calls for the president to be replaced.

“We believe a virtual element is the wisest approach because it ensures ballot access in the states that we need to win in November and avoids potential risks if there is a delay in the process,” Walz and Daughtry wrote in a letter to the party’s rules committee, which was obtained by Bloomberg and reported earlier by CBS News. 

The accelerated push drew criticism, particularly from Democrats who have publicly urged Biden to reconsider his candidacy. On Capitol Hill, a letter arguing against expediting the nomination was circulating earlier this week among Democratic offices.

That effort has been abandoned for now, the office of California Representative Jared Huffman said.

“Fast-forwarding the nomination process is no way to convince the many unconvinced voters in the growing number of battleground states,” said Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who has called on Biden to step aside. “Those so eager to overly protect President Biden ignore his own words inviting anyone questioning his nomination to do so at the convention.”

Intraparty hand-wringing over the vote irritated the president’s team, which has sought to refocus voters’ attention on Donald Trump. 

“The Republicans are lying to the American people about virtually every single issue that impacts their lives, and we are caught up in process stories,” Biden deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said on Wednesday.

Biden earlier this month dared challengers who did not support his candidacy to challenge him at the convention.

“Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention,” Biden during an interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe. 

Realistically, there is little chance of another candidate emerging unless Biden himself announces he does not want to pursue his re-election bid. He has steadfastly insisted he intends to stay in the race.

During his press conference last Thursday, the president said delegates he won during the primaries are “free to do whatever they want”.

“But I get overwhelming support,” Biden added.

  - Bloomberg