Influential left-liberal operatives, including former staffers for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, are urging California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to run for president in 2024 in the event President Joe Biden does not seek reelection.
Former presidential campaign manager Jeff Weaver and senior adviser Mark Longabaugh have both reached out to the Khanna about the prospect of a bid, signaling that the far-left flank on the party sees Khanna as a contender to succeed Sanders as the face of archliberal politics.
“I think Ro would be a very effective candidate,” Longabaugh told Politico. Longabaugh asserted that a push for Khanna to run hinges on Biden opting out of the race. “This guy has a message that’s very powerful. … Ro is basically saying, ‘Is there a way in which we can reconstruct the economy so that all of the wealth is not just being generated on the East Coast, West Coast, or out of my congressional district?’”
Since first being elected to Congress in 2016, Khanna, 45, has risen to be one of the most prominent liberal voices in the House while garnering a reputation for being able to work with his more centrist colleagues and, at times, Republicans on certain issues.
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But despite being seen as a rising star for the Left, Khanna said he fully intends to back Biden during the next presidential cycle.
“I’m not running in 2024,” Khanna told the outlet. “I fully expect the president to run and intend to support him strongly.”
While politicians have at times denied plans to seek higher office before ultimately launching bids in the past, a source familiar with Khanna’s thinking told the Washington Examiner that the California Democrat has no intention of seeking the presidential nomination in 2024.
The push for Khanna to run comes as speculation continues to rise over whether Biden, who will turn 82 shortly after the 2024 presidential election, will forgo a reelection bid, leading to an open primary.
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Biden said he plans to run again if his health allows, potentially teeing up a rematch against former President Donald Trump, who has indicated that he hasn’t ruled out a bid.
“If I’m in the health I’m in now — I’m in good health — then, in fact, I would run again,” Biden told ABC News in December. “I’m a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times.”
