Will President Joe Biden run for re-election in 2024?
The question is becoming increasingly urgent within the Democratic Party.
With the presidential election just over two years away, some representatives of the party are beginning to question whether Biden is the right candidate to beat the Republicans in the next election.
During a televised debate on Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, said she didn’t believe Biden will run for a second term in 2024.
The debate was held for candidates in the primary for Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District.
"I don't believe he's running for reelection," said Maloney on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Maloney apologized for her comments and said she'll stand by Biden if he seeks reelection.
“Mr. President, I apologize. I want you to run. I happen to think you won’t be running, but when you run or if you run, I will be there 100%,” she said in a CNN Live interview.
When asked repeatedly by the reporter why she doesn’t believe Biden is running, Maloney refused to explain her reasons, claiming it was of “her own personal belief,” refusing to share more in a likely attempt to avoid putting out a new incendiary remark that could further destabilize her own party ahead of the midterms.
Why Some Democrats Say Biden Is The Wrong Choice: Recent polls, including a CNN poll released last week and a New York Times poll from June, found that between 64% and 75% of Democratic voters want the party to nominate someone other than Biden in 2024.
The state of the economy and high inflation rates are some of the main reasons behind the voter discontent with the incumbent president.
While most Democrats have publicly stated that they will support Biden if he were to run for a second term, some have shared public concerns on whether he should.
For detractors, the president’s age is a main negative point. Biden, who is 79, would be 82 at the time of the 2024 election and 86 by the time his second term would be over.
While age should not be a factor of discouragement in itself, arguments surround the fact that the president’s health is showing natural marks of aging, with multiple health conditions accumulating.
From a purely performative standpoint, Biden’s public persona has become weaker with age, which becomes noticeable when watching videos of him speaking in the 1970s and 1980s.
“The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue,” David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obama’s two winning presidential campaigns, told The New York Times.
Still, the clear message from Biden’s office is that he continues to plan on running in 2024.
The latest confirmation of this comes from June, when White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted out that “to be clear, as the President has said repeatedly, he plans to run in 2024.”
If Not Biden, Then Who? According to a poll conducted of 1,000 registered voters in late July, Vice President Kamala Harris was the top choice of Democratic voters should Biden not run for office again.
After her came Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Last month, The Washington Post published a list of the most likely candidates for the 2024 election and for the first time, included Biden as a member of the list when in previous editions the outlet published the list only as one of possible candidates in the event of Biden not running.
Aside from the incumbent president, the list was composed of these nine candidates:
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Roy Cooper
- Gretchen Whitmer
- Gavin Newsom
- Bernie Sanders
- Elizabeth Warren
- Amy Klobuchar
- Kamala D. Harris
- Pete Buttigieg
From the Republican side, Donald Trump continues to be the favorite candidate amongst Republicans, but his support is faltering amid revelations of his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Likely contenders for the Republican candidacy include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Photo via Shutterstock.
