While President Joe Biden says he will not drop out of the presidential race after his lackluster debate performance against former President Donald Trump, some social media users are saying that out gay Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg would be a good replacement. But such a move would be difficult and would come with risks.

In a recent post on X, political observer and data scientist Armand Domalewski posted a table of percentages showing Buttigieg outperforming other possible Democratic replacements — like Vice President Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — in crucial swing states. The table came from a post-debate report leaked from Open Labs, the research arm of the Democratic super PAC Future Forward.

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Commenters on his post wondered whether Buttigieg would serve better as Harris’ vice presidential candidate and noted that, during Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, he struggled to gain support among Black voters, a crucial demographic in the Democratic base.

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It’s also unlikely that the positive polling numbers of Buttigieg and other possible replacements would stay high if they entered the race. Presidential candidacy would attract widespread media attention and public criticism, worsening any candidate’s favorability among voters.

But Domalewski isn’t the only one considering Buttigieg as a possible replacement for Biden.

Numerous other commenters on X also endorsed Buttigieg, either as Harris’ possible running mate or as the presidential candidate. Buttigieg is known for being articulate and capable of erudite responses to Republican critics and talking points in a succinct and disarming style.

But it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to replace Biden, partly because Biden has already won 3,894 delegates in the 2024 Democratic primary (a candidate needs 1,968 to win).