It is still uncertain whether President Joe Biden will choose to run for reelection in 2024, but Democrats are starting to make election preparations regardless.
In January, The Hill reported that President Biden had already started preparing his reelection campaign, and a formal announcement was expected in April. At the time, Biden’s team was meeting with key allies and working on a larger digital presence in the upcoming election, according to The Hill.
While some expect him to run for reelection, others are not as certain. Concerns have arisen due to low approval ratings and Biden’s age, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. At 80, Biden is now the oldest president in U.S. history.
Another possibility is that President Biden waits to announce his candidacy for 2024. Waiting to announce his candidacy would allow Biden to continue fundraising and growing his campaign behind the scenes. While there are benefits to waiting to announce, some Democrats would like an earlier decision to get the campaign started.
“Obviously, it creates doubts and problems if he waits and waits and waits,” said Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh, as reported by Politico. “But if he were to somehow not declare [till] June or something, I think some people would be stomping around.”
Should Biden choose not to run for reelection in 2024, the Democratic Party will have to make a decision about who will take his place.
One potential candidate would be current Vice President Kamala Harris. Choosing the current vice president would be the most common choice for the party, but concerns relating to her approval ratings are prevalent. Harris currently has an approval rating of 40.6%, according to FiveThirtyEight. Despite this low rating, high name recognition could be a significant advantage for Harris on the campaign trail.
Another choice would be California’s Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom won a second term in the recent midterm elections. Newsom recently promoted California as an abortion sanctuary by posting billboard advertisements in some red states, as reported by Politico.
A third option for the party would be Elizabeth Warren. Warren has served as the senator for Massachusetts since 2013. In 2020, Warren ran for president before suspending her campaign in early March.
