Uncharted Territory: Could Campaign Finances Keep Biden on the Ballot?

As calls to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee continue to hurt his re-election efforts, campaign finance experts say financial hurdles could prevent another Democrat from holding the office.

The Biden-Harris campaign has brought in a huge amount of money this cycle, with $127 million raised in June alone — but if Biden were to be replaced or resign as candidate, serious questions arise about whether another candidate would be able to inherit those funds.

With several candidates being floated as Biden's replacement, one political fundraiser familiar with presidential campaign finance told Fox News Digital that right now, the money “is only available if your name is Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.”

Election law experts told Fox News Digital that Vice President Kamala Harris could likely use the campaign funds given that she is on the Biden-Harris ticket. However, even the vice president could face obstacles in accessing the money.

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President Biden speaks during last week's presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Whether the funds could be transferred to Harris is an “open question,” according to Trey Trainor, commissioner of the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

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In the event that Biden is replaced as the nominee, legal experts tell Fox that the Biden-Harris campaign would be allowed to transfer the funds to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), but the campaign arm is limited in how it can distribute them.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a “First In The Nation” campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 2, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Trainor, speaking on The Josh Hammer Show Wednesday, said that given the financial hurdles, he believes Democrats “have no choice but to continue to move forward with President Biden as the nominee because there are just too many hurdles.”

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have been discussed as potential replacements for Biden, but experts don't think other candidates would be able to easily secure the funds.

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As members of his own party call on Biden to resign, campaign finance experts — who have described the situation as unprecedented — have concluded that they believe Biden is likely to remain the Democratic nominee, even if the final decision comes down to campaign finance.