President Joe Biden has not formally declared his candidacy to seek reelection in 2024, yet he is enlisting a team of high-profile Democratic figures who could emerge as rivals to travel across the country and promote what he deems as his accomplishments during his first term.
With an objective to unify the party, Biden has hand-picked a team of governors, senators, and other recognizable Democrats who will deliver speeches and appear in media interviews leading up to his expected announcement to pursue a second term.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is expected to serve as headquarters for Biden’s team, which will reportedly be introduced sometime in March.
Governors Wes Moore (D-Md.), Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.), Josh Shapiro (D-Penn.), and Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), are among the 20 people who have joined the effort, according to The Washington Post.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.); and U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) are also part of the team.
“I will absolutely support him because I know how important this partnership has already been to the state of Maryland,” Moore said last week. “I plan on going everywhere to be able to do it—both to areas that may be blue areas or areas that may not be blue areas.”
“Among the many things that will assist Biden to win reelection is the Democrats’ ability to unify despite ideological differences. This national advisory board not only showcases this strength, but it also further adds to the likelihood of a Democratic win in 2024,” David Carlucci, a former New York state senator who is a Democratic political strategist, told The Epoch Times.
“Strength comes from unity. Even if some of these appointees decide to run against the president, at least the Democrats will come to the general election with a robust, transparent, and unified message,” Carlucci added. “This is how Democrats will win. On the other hand, as seen with the appointment of Speaker Kevin (McCarthy), Republicans struggle immensely with their fringe members.”
Second Term of Biden
If Biden does formally announce his intent to seek another term, he will likely face questions from Americans about his age.
A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released on Feb. 27 indicated that 68 percent of respondents believe Biden is “too old for another term. Among Democratic registered voters, 48 percent agree with that opinion compared to 38 percent who disagree.
Recent polling from ABC News and The Washington Post indicated that 62 percent of the respondents think that Biden has accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing” in his first two years, while 36 percent believe he has achieved “a great deal” or “a good amount.”
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month, Biden’s public approval rating was 41 percent.
Conducted from Feb. 23 to Feb. 27, the Yahoo News/YouGov survey of 1,516 U.S. adults also showed that 77 percent overwhelmingly approve of his job performance while 20 percent disapprove.
Yet, according to the poll, 56 percent agree “there is an age at which somebody is too old to be president,” and 45 percent said that once a candidate reaches 80, he or she is too old for the role.
Biden is already the oldest president in American history. If he runs and wins in 2024, he would be 86 at the end of his second term.
On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump is seeking a return to the White House. Former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced her candidacy for the 2024 Republican nomination last month, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has also entered the race.
No high-profile rival for the Democratic presidential primary has surfaced. On March 4, self-help author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williams launched her 2024 presidential campaign at Union Station in Washington.
“It is our job to create a vision of justice and love that is so powerful that it will override the forces of hatred and injustice and fear,” said the 70-year-old Williamson, who was also a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. “I, as of today, am a candidate for the office of President of the United States.”
During its February winter meeting, the DNC unanimously passed a resolution declaring their “full and complete support” for a second term for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
That didn’t prevent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from saying “I’m thinking about it” when asked about his 2024 presidential aspirations at the New Hampshire National Politics Institute’s “Politics and Eggs” speaker series on March 3.
“I have passed the biggest hurdle, that my wife has greenlighted it,” Kennedy told the crowd in New Hampshire.
Kennedy married actress Cheryl Hines in 2014.
He is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, and describes himself as “a lifelong Democrat.”
Kennedy is an attorney and an environmental and medical freedom activist.
An outspoken critic of the COVID-19 vaccine, he is also is the founder of Children’s Health Defense, which according to its website is a nonprofit organization with a mission “to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable, and to establish safeguards to prevent future harm.”
Kennedy’s stance against COVID-19 vaccine mandates has gained support from conservatives.
On My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell’s program, Lindell TV, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said, “RFK Jr. could jump into the Republican primary for president, and only DeSantis and Trump, I think, would do better.”
During his remarks in New Hampshire, Kennedy talked about the divisiveness in current American politics.
“We have probably the greatest polarization in our country’s history that we’ve ever had since the Civil War—really dangerous polarization,” Kennedy said.
In February, the DNC voted to replace New Hampshire with South Carolina in the Democratic primary leadoff spot. The move was encouraged by Biden.
In a letter to Democrats before the DNC’s vote, Biden wrote, “Just like my administration, the Democratic Party has worked hard to reflect the diversity of America—but our nominating process does not.
“For fifty years, the first month of our presidential nominating process has been a treasured part of our democratic process, but it is time to update the process for the 21st century,” Biden added. “I am committed to working with the DNC to get this done.”
In 2020, Biden opened his presidential bid by finishing fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire, and a distant second in Nevada.
He won in a landslide in South Carolina, where a majority of the primary electorate is black.
Biden secured 48.4 percent of the vote. Bernie Sanders finished a distant second at 19.9 percent.
Under the DNC’s new calendar, South Carolina will now vote first. New Hampshire and Nevada will vote second three days later.
“We have the president of our party, the President of the United States, who feels like he needs to move this primary to a state where he can better control the outcome,” Kennedy said. “What does that say to people?”
New Hampshire’s “four electoral votes could decide the 2024 election,” Kennedy added.
Some Democrats who attended Kennedy’s New Hampshire address believes that he could emerge as a serious contender to Biden.
“He’s got the name, and that opens a lot of doors,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic state senator Lou D’Allesandro said.
It is uncertain when Biden will announce that he is running for a second term.
On March 2, a reporter asked him when he plans to declare his candidacy.
“When I announce it,” Biden responded.
