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Months before Americans head to the polls in the 2022 midterms to decide which party will control Congress, rumors about the 2024 presidential are already swirling.
President Biden, whose approval ratings have dipped below 40%, maintains he is running for re-election. But while national Democrats express support for a Biden 2024 campaign in public, some are privately making other plans.
A report by the New York Times published earlier in June showed increasing dissatisfaction with Biden within the party.
“To say our country was on the right track would flagrantly depart from reality,” one Democratic National Committee member told the paper. “[Biden] should announce his intent not to seek re-election in ’24 right after the midterms.”
Among the concerns is President Biden’s age. While still physically healthy and fit, Biden will be 82 by the next election.
“The presidency is a monstrously taxing job,” said former Obama advisor David Axelrod.
“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.”
Despite frustration from progressives, Biden has shepherded significant accomplishments in a divided era. He’s passed the largest infrastructure investment in America’s history. He passed sweeping COVID relief months into office and managed an unprecedented rollout of the vaccine. The President has also allied a fractured NATO in support of Ukraine, champions and endorses meaningful gun reform and appears poised to reduce student debt.
Still, many worry that the message of fear-mongering from the GOP is winning. And, with Trump poised to launch another White House bid, some see the future of American democracy in peril.
Hillary Clinton rules out 2024 run, backs Biden in recent interview
In an interview with The Financial Times, Hillary Clinton said a 2024 presidential campaign was “out of the question” for her.
“I expect Biden to run,” Clinton said. “He certainly intends to run. It would be very disruptive to challenge that.”
Clinton, who won the popular vote in 2016 but lost the Electoral College vote to Donald Trump, says she is focused on ensuring the twice-impeached former president doesn’t return to power.
“Look, the most important thing is to win the next election,” Clinton said in the interview. “The alternative is so frightening that whatever does not help you win should not be a priority.”
“We are standing on the precipice of losing our democracy, and everything that everybody else cares about then goes out the window.”
The former Secretary of State’s comments come as a bi-partisan Congressional committee releases mounting evidence that Trump incited the January 6th terror attack on the US Capitol.
Many fear that, should Trump win a second term, he could use his power to upend the Constitution.
Fear of Trump victory leaves many voters looking elsewhere on both sides of the aisle.
Despite chatter from Biden and Trump that they both intend to run in 2024, both Republicans and Democrats are exploring their options.
Corey Stapleton, a Republican, has already formed an exploratory committee for President. The former Montana elected official is “testing the waters” because he’s “troubled by the current direction of our country.”
Another candidate receiving speculation is Francis Suarez, the Republican mayor of Miami. Mayor Suarez, a rising star in the party, has actively embraced efforts to combat climate change and tech investment in his city.
The Mayor posted a screenshot of an op-ed piece by columnist George Will encouraging a bid for the presidency. In his post, Suarez did not rule out the possibility.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also showing signs he may enter the race, regardless of Trump’s decision. According to Politico, DeSantis has already raised $3.2 Million for his Florida re-election bid from some of Trump’s biggest donors.
“I think Ron’s fundraising really speaks for itself,” Francis Rooney, in influential Florida Republican told Politico. “It is possible Trump’s percentage of the Republicans keeps going down,” he continued. “I think it’s possible people will start looking elsewhere.”
On the Democratic side, polls show Vice President Harris is the most likely front-runner should Biden not pursue a second term. However, as her approval ratings also struggle, there is growing room for other candidates to enter the field.
2020 candidates Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren all have their names in the mix. Meanwhile, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ayanna Pressley have been mentioned as possible primary challengers to Biden.
With twenty-eight months before the next presidential election, so much will change. One thing that is certain: 2024 will be a bruising, difficult election for a country still wounded from 2020.