In the days following the US presidential debate between former President Donald J. Trump and President Joe Biden, Democrats across the country began questioning whether Biden is up for the job a second time around. Given the president’s state of mental acuity, many Democratic voters believe they have a better chance of keeping the White House if their nominee isn’t Biden, according to a recent CNN poll. But would replacing Biden be enough to save the Democrats from what seems to be an inevitable failure? It’s not looking very likely.

While picking a new nominee could boost the energy within the Democratic Party and perhaps inspire a little more hope, it would also be a very expensive mistake. Replacing a candidate only months before the elections would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to the party. But there is a much bigger question driving the decision: Is there a viable candidate within the party?

None of the proposed candidates are well-positioned to win

Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear have all been mentioned as potential replacements after Biden’s poor debate performance. It is unclear who is more likely to undertake the challenge. It is also unclear if any of these candidates have any chance of winning against Trump when he is a clear leader in the latest polls.

Harris is the obvious replacement for Biden despite her concerning approval ratings. Another point of concern is her relative invisibility during the four years of Biden’s term. After a 2020 campaign where the Democrats proudly pranced her around as the first female vice president — and one of color at that — Harris became disposable. Given her lack of publicity, voters won’t know what she stands for and who she is as a person. Would they trust someone they don’t know? It’s highly doubtful.

Newsom, meanwhile, has been among the most prominent Democrats in the past few years. He is popular for being a loyal defender of Biden and for his persevering fight against Republican ideals. Nevertheless, a large part of his reputation is negative given the current state of California. Roughly half (49%) of all unsheltered people in the country are in California. The state also had the largest increase from 2007 to 2022 (42,413 people or a 30.5% increase). Twenty years ago, Newsom pledged to end homelessness in San Francisco while serving as the city’s mayor. It is fair to say he hasn’t kept his promise. Choosing a presidential candidate who has been responsible for the nation’s largest homelessness spike will not convince voters to save the Democratic party.

Whitmer, who was elected to her post in 2018, was also among the women considered to serve as Biden’s running mate in 2020. She has since shown her political strength and as such is widely respected in Michigan and within the Democratic Party. Additionally, Whitmer has launched her Fight Like Hell PAC, which supports Democrats running for federal office and serves to defend working people and protect their most fundamental rights.

Whitmer shared an emotional and personal account of her sexual assault survival in 2013. Since then, she has been known for her relentless fight for safe abortion. This stance would make her popular among female voters. However, choosing her as Biden’s last-minute replacement may not give her enough time to campaign for herself. Introducing a less familiar face so close to the election would be a risky move. Perhaps if she had had more time to build her campaign, she would have done very well against Donald Trump.

Beshear is currently serving his second term as governor of Kentucky. Since his election in 2019, he has attempted to defend citizens’ right to privacy and has helped families rebuild after tornadoes and flooding affected Kentucky. Beshear’s “Better Kentucky Plan” aims to prioritize increased pay for public school teachers, rebuilding infrastructure and expanding access to the Internet. Beshear has also emphasized expanding healthcare access and tackling the opioid crisis.

He has kept a predominantly positive image, but it would still not be enough to face the former president and win. Donald Trump is one of the most popular faces in the world. Even if he is one of the most hated, too, undecided voters will often opt to choose a familiar face, even a controversial one.

Democrats’ troubles extend past the presidential position

Regardless of which candidate would make the best replacement for Biden, the Democrats’ struggles span far beyond finding a new face to cary the party through 2024. The list of top problems the nation is facing today includes inflation, health care affordability, drug addiction and gun violence. Healthcare affordability is an increasingly vital issue to voters. Sentiments that gun violence and crime are problematic have also increased since last year.

A survey by the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group asked Democratic-leaning working-class voters to rank their top five issues. The results were as follows: health care, social security, Medicare, the economy and jobs. However, liberal white-collar professionals listed their top issues as the environment, climate change, health care, education and racial equality. Only one issue made both lists.

By comparing the rankings, we can see a great divide between groups. While crime was listed sixth for workers, professionals placed crime way down in position 17. Workers listed the economy as their number four concern, while professionals only saw it as 12th. For professionals, climate change was a top issue in this election — for workers, it didn’t even reach the top ten.

What’s more striking is that only the white-collar priorities of the party were represented in Biden’s campaign. In his victory speech, Biden stated his ultimate intentions: “To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time. The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The battle to secure your family’s health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country. The battle to save the climate. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy and give everybody in this country a fair shot.”

Of the top-priority issues for Democratic working-class voters, Biden only explicitly referred to healthcare. The gap between the party elite and the working-class people it claims to represent is vast. Even if the Democratic party chose another candidate, workers would likely still be voting against their interests.

The undeniable truth is that neither blue-collar workers nor their interests are even on the Democrats’ radar. What struggling Americans want is jobs, health care, decent schools, safe neighborhoods and somebody — anybody — in Washington willing to listen. But why would they listen? Democrats today represent the richest House districts in the country, and over half of federal legislators are millionaires. Yet the only way the Democrats can secure a win is by paying less attention to white-collar issues like LGBTQ, climate change and environmental issues and focusing more on the fundamentals: food, healthcare and jobs.

[Cheyenne Torres edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.