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Thanks in large part to the special counsel’s report, longstanding concerns about President Joe Biden’s energy have resurfaced as a campaign issue at a time when Democrats would rather talk about other things.
Biden, 81, has bristled at suggestions he has missed a step. Meanwhile, White House staff, his re-election campaign and other Democratic Party officials come to his defense.
“I speak with President Biden regularly, usually several times a week,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Tuesday morning. He’s fine. He’s as good as he’s been in years,” adding, “All the right-wing propaganda that his mental strength is declining is wrong.”
Republicans are making as much noise as possible about Biden’s suitability, calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked or for him to step down.
But voters also continued to say that the age of the president, who is likely to face former President Donald Trump in a rematch, is a significant concern.
Preparing to vote: See who’s running for president and compare their positions on important issues with our voter guide
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted after the report was released last week found that an astonishing 86% of Americans think Biden is too old to serve another term. .
The same poll found that 59% think both Biden and Trump, who is 77, are too old for a second term.
No leading Democratic Party member has called for Biden to resign, but growing speculation about his ability to serve will inevitably focus attention on who could take the reins of the party.
The outline of the person is as follows.
joe biden
that’s right. There’s really only one person who can defeat Joe Biden in the presidential primaries ahead of this summer’s Democratic National Convention: the president himself.
Candidates jumping into the 2024 race at the last minute now have a nearly impossible path to victory. That’s because all but six states have deadlines to file for primary ballot access by the end of February.
And if someone were to enter the contest and appear on every ballot in every state, Biden’s lead in delegates would likely widen even further on Super Tuesday, March 5. .
The most likely scenario in this hypothetical scenario would be for Biden to announce that he will not seek a second term, freeing delegates for what would likely be a chaotic run-up to the convention in Chicago, with King or Queen decider. It’s something to do.
So who are the candidates?
kamala harris
If Biden resigns or is physically unable to become a nominee, his natural successor would be Vice President Kamala Harris.
The 59-year-old California Democrat was Biden’s first major choice to lead the party in 2020, and given that the race is often touted as a “Biden vs. Harris” ticket, she is the most likely He would be an easy replacement.
As USA TODAY’s White House correspondent Francesca Chambers noted in an article last year, Harris began stepping into the role of progressive culture warrior and initially struggled to find her footing in the role of vice president. Later, other major issues came to the forefront.
There are concerns about Harris’ abilities as a campaigner, given her history of dropping out of the 2020 primary before the Iowa caucuses and her anemic polling numbers.
But a blatant attempt to remove her as the rightful successor to the nomination in this scenario would infuriate her supporters and likely alienate a significant portion of the Democratic base, namely black voters. .
dean phillips
If there’s anyone waiting to say “I told you so” in 2024, it’s Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minnesota, who formally challenged the president in the primary.
The 54-year-old congressman’s campaign is about America turning the page on a generation, something he is keen to point out in the context of this recent drama.
“I saw the coming disaster early on, spent a whole year promoting the fight, and only got in the ring when no one else would,” Phillips wrote on X (formerly Twitter). said in a post on February 11th.
“And even though the partisans hate me for trying to protect us, I still love you all.”
However, Phillips suffered a crushing defeat in the South Carolina primary, finishing in third place with less than 2 percentage points behind recently dropped author Marianne Williamson. He has faced questions about why he remains in the race, and it is difficult to imagine how he will be viewed by Biden’s delegates as a viable candidate in the general election.
Blue Governor Gang: Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear
One group of candidates where Democrats could potentially find a replacement for Biden is at the state level. Many blue state governors are experimenting with national branding.
And they also put money in the safe. He will reach out to national donors, open a PAC, and build the infrastructure for a presidential bid.
Chief among them is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been a strong advocate of Biden and has been accused of running a shadow campaign for 2028.
Other governors that progressives might push back against include J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, who has money and powerful surrogates who can push his convention management.
Another would be Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. He was once on the list of vice presidential candidates and has become a loyal Biden supporter amid backlash over the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war that devastated Gaza and angered the state’s Arab American voters. is.
Whitmer has won important legislative victories with a new Democratic majority in Congress and will represent a battleground state.
But there are also dark horses who could come under pressure from more moderate wings of the party, such as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, whose wins in conservative-leaning states have captured the attention of national Democrats.
Beshear, who has also been named as a running mate, recently launched a federal PAC targeting races across the country.
What about Pete Buttigieg, Michelle Obama, and “superdelegates”?
Beyond the usual suspects, who at least appear to be keen to run for president in the future, other factions within the party are likely to promote their preferred candidates if Biden leaves office. There will certainly be attempts to do so.
The poll includes candidates who previously ran and maintain a certain level of support among liberal voters, such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who won the 2020 Iowa caucuses, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The investigation will last several weeks.
A campaign is also underway to recruit candidates from outside Washington, including former first lady Michelle Obama, who has shown no interest in running, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who said he has been approached about running. There is also a possibility.
The Democratic convention is expected to draw a total of 4,532 delegates, including 744 “automatic” delegates known as “superdelegates” who will be eligible to vote if candidates vote a second time. Also included.
Many former and current party leaders and elected officials will want to have a say as well.
And that doesn’t include the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and input from grassroots organizations and major donors.
Whatever is revealed about Mr. Biden’s age in the coming weeks and months will complicate the effort to elect a new Democratic nominee.
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