Challengers to Biden in 2024 Are Making Themselves Known

Since our site is called “US Presidential Election News,” how about if we actually talk about US Presidential Election News. Whaddayasay? In our recent article about challenges to Donald Trump, we assumed that the Democratic choice would be between Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. We also received a complaint that we were wrong in saying Hillary Clinton’s opposition in 2016 was “token,” since Bernie Sanders had worked so hard, and had such loyal supporters. Well, Bernie is alive and well.

This time around, Bernie’s people are promoting someone else for the run.

Top figures from Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign are privately encouraging Ro Khanna to run for president in 2024 if Joe Biden doesn’t seek a second term, giving the California congressman an important stamp of approval from progressives as the party looks to its post-Biden future.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ former presidential campaign manager, and Mark Longabaugh, a senior adviser to Sanders during his 2016 bid, have both urged Khanna to consider a campaign in the event Biden declines to run again, according to a person familiar with their discussions.

Of course, as these things go at this stage, Khanna is being coy about a run.

In an interview, Khanna made clear that he had no intention of challenging Biden and expressed strong support for his reelection. But he did not close the door to 2028.

“I’m not running in 2024,” Khanna said. “I fully expect the president to run and intend to support him strongly. If for some reason he didn’t, that would be very disappointing, but there are a number of other candidates who I think I could get behind who would make sure that the Democrats beat Donald Trump.”

Maybe the big question is whether the country is ready for another minority candidate. While Barack Obama won handily, the country’s dream of a woman president fizzled, and there could hardly ever be a more “white” duo than Biden and Trump. Khanna, like Harris, has East Indian heritage.

Allies of Khanna, who is the son of Indian immigrants, think he could tap financial support in the Indian American community and appeal to immigrants of all stripes. Indian Americans — one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the country — have been working diligently in recent years to increase their political clout, and Khanna has developed close relationships with Indian American leaders.

Khanna has been very clear that he will support Biden, if Joe runs again. But other liberals are beginning to look for someone else to run, even if Biden does run again. Perhaps Democrats should remember 1980, when liberals talked Ted Kennedy into running against President Jimmy Carter. It was a disaster for Carter, as well as the party, who saw Ronald Reagan jerk the country decisively to the right.

Bernie fans have been looking for an alternative to Biden for some time.

“Will there be a progressive challenger? Yes,” said Jeff Weaver, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ former presidential campaign manager. . .

No one now in office — and none of the top-tier presidential contenders from 2020 — is viewed as a serious prospect to take on Biden. Nor is there any expectation that Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren. . . Instead, liberals believe lesser-known candidates are more likely to primary Biden if he seeks a second term, such as former Sanders campaign co-chair Nina Turner, 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson or millionaire and $18-an-hour minimum wage advocate Joe Sanberg.

CNN actually lists eleven prospective Democratic presidential candidates in 2024.

What if Biden’s plans change? Below, a look at the most commonly mentioned names for 2024 contenders and a single line on their viability.

* Kamala Harris: She’s undoubtedly struggled as vice president but she’s still the most likely Democrat not named Biden to wind up as the Democratic nominee in 2024.

* Pete Buttigieg: The most naturally talented candidate in the 2024 field, “Mayor Pete” has also been front and center selling Biden’s infrastructure bill.

* Elizabeth Warren: The Massachusetts senator is still popular among liberals — and wouldn’t be splitting the vote with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders this time around like she did in 2020.

* Amy Klobuchar: Other than Buttigieg, the Minnesota senator was probably the best regarded of the losing candidates in 2020 — and her Midwest roots are always a plus given the electoral map.

* Roy Cooper: Term-limited out of office in 2024, the North Carolina governor has ample time to consider his next step — starting with his service as the vice chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

* Mitch Landrieu: Being tasked with implementing the infrastructure bill is a big (and high-profile) job that the former New Orleans mayor has taken to with relish.

* Gina Raimondo: She made the leap from Rhode Island governor to Biden administration commerce secretary but doubts remain as to whether she is too moderate to win a Democratic primary in this moment.

* Gretchen Whitmer: The Michigan governor needs to win what could be a tough reelection race [this] year before she can turn to considering a national run in earnest.

* Phil Murphy: The record of New Jersey governors running for president isn’t great of late (sorry, Chris Christie!) but Murphy could use the next few years of his governorship as a testing ground for some national policies for the party.

* J.B. Pritzker: Pritzker has two things going for him — 1) He’s the governor of a major Midwestern state (Illinois) and 2) he’s very, very rich.

* Stacey Abrams: Abrams talked openly about running in 2020 before passing on the race; but she needs to win the Georgia governor’s mansion in 2022 before thinking too much about 2024.

There has also been talk of a challenge from the Democratic right. Even in these pages, there has been talk of West Virginia’s Joe Manchin running in 2024, but that talk has come from Republicans, who would love to see the party torn apart. The rank and file of the Democratic Party see Manchin as an obstructionist who is only interested in his own, personal political health, which must be quite conservative for him to survive in a state where Trump won by more than 2:1 in 2020.

We mentioned the 1980 challenge of Ted Kennedy against Jimmy Carter. People think that proves that a challenge won’t work, but that was a unique example. It was obvious that Teddy didn’t really want the presidency. He never got over the loss of his brothers, John and Robert. He wanted to stay away from the presidency, but liberals pushed him into it. That became very clear in an interview with Roger Mudd.

When Mudd asked the most obvious question, why do you want the presidency, Teddy was like a deer in headlights—he had no easy answer to it.

There have been other presidential challengers, who really did want the job. The most successful effort was against President Gerald Ford in 1976. There was even talk of a “co-presidency” between Ford and Ronald Reagan that year. In the end, Reagan pushed Ford aside and won in November. Reagan was weakly challenged for re-election by Republican Illinois Congressman John Anderson, who ran as an independent in the general election.

President Lyndon Johnson was also pushed aside, in 1968. Sen. Eugene McCarthy rode a wave of anti-war sentiment that actually did push Johnson to decide not to run. Of course, once McCarthy opened the door, Bobby Kennedy walked in, and if he had not been killed, it’s likely that Bobby would have gotten the nomination, and likely would have beaten Richard Nixon that year.

In 1992, President GHW Bush (“41”) was weakened by a primary challenge by Pat Buchanan. Then, in the general election, he had to contend with Ross Perot, leading to the election of Bill Clinton.

In general, challenges to a president within his (no “her” so far) own party, have usually just weakened the president, splitting the party, and turning off independents. If a president can’t even please his own party, how can he win with the general electorate?