“Suppose the unthinkable took place, and Hillary Clinton was forced for health reasons to step down as the Democratic presidential nominee. Who do Democrats think should take her place?” asks a new Rasmussen Reports poll.

Looks like a certain Vermont independent has the edge.

The survey found that 48 percent of likely Democratic voters said that Sen. Bernie Sanders, once Mrs. Clinton’s primary rival, should be their party’s nominee if she was unable to remain in the race. Another 22 percent named Vice President Joe Biden, while only 14 percent gave the nod to Sen. Tim Kaine, the current Democratic vice presidential candidate. Nine percent thought the replacement should be “someone else”.

Among all likely voters, it’s a closer contest, the poll found. Thirty-six percent choose Mr. Sanders, 20 percent opted for Mr Biden and 14 percent Mr. Kaine. But over a fifth think the replacement should be someone else.

Mrs. Clinton was under distress during a 9/11 observance in New York City almost a week ago and was forced off the campaign trail until Thursday. Her personal doctor revealed the candidate had pneumonia. Within hours, the media explored the possibility that Mrs. Clinton might drop out of the race. NPR correspondent Cokie Roberts suggested that a Kaine/Biden match up would make an ideal new ticket.



“This isn’t the 1840s. Clinton, a rich and powerful figure with access to the best medical care in 2016, will recover from this, her most torrid pneumatic episode,” countered Slate staff writer Jim Newell. “She is not dropping out of the race because she got pneumonia, and there will be no real push for her to do so,“

Mr. Sanders was not left out of the equation.

“It’s not too late for Bernie to save the Democratic Party. If Democrats truly want to win, they’ll rally around Bernie Sanders before Election Day,” declares H.A. Goodman, a contributor to the Huffington Post. “If Hillary Clinton cares about the future of this country, she’ll hand the nomination to Vermont’s senator.”

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