President Joe Biden has enjoyed a good run of form since July, with his approval ratings heading up and down-ballot Democrats deciding to campaign with him in their home states.
But when it comes to the ever-enticing question of whether he’ll run for reelection in 2024, party leaders are still dodging and weaving.
AUGUST’S 8.3% INFLATION MEANS BIDEN CAN’T ESCAPE ECONOMY IN NOVEMBER
“Not yet — we’ve been a little too busy,” first lady Jill Biden said when asked if she’d talked reelection with her husband. “Not yet, but I’m sure it’ll be a discussion.”
Given her high-profile and especially close relationship with the president, the first lady’s dodge leaves the public guessing as to her husband’s future plans and wondering what’s really being said behind closed doors. She did indicate general support, however, saying, “I think he just needs to keep going.”
Joe Biden and top White House officials have remained adamant that the president will seek a second term, yet a growing number of Democratic lawmakers have cast doubt about the president’s ability to win reelection in recent weeks.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) failed to give a direct answer on whether Joe Biden should run for reelection earlier this week, saying, “It’s not my job to decide,” while Ohio Senate hopeful Rep. Tim Ryan (D) told reporters last week that his “hunch” is that both Democrats and Republicans “need new leadership across the board.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has said she’ll be glad to run with Joe Biden “if” he runs again.
Polls show the president’s approval rating ticking up from a low of 36.8% on July 20 to 42.6% on Sept. 15 in the RealClearPolitics average. This has Democrats in competitive races ready to make appearances with him again and boosts his prospects for reelection should he choose to try it.
“The champion always has the first right of refusal,” said Democratic strategist Michael Stratton. “If the president decides to run, I think people will join him. In the face of Trump, the insurrection, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and countless other things, the guy is doing a wonderful job.”
So why the lack of commitment? Stratton says simply that it’s too early.
“If he says he’s not running, that makes him a lame duck,” he said. “Why would he do that? These things will sort themselves out in due time. The next sorting out will be the November midterms.”
Republican strategist John Feehery mostly agreed with his Democratic counterpart.
“Joe Biden is the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination chiefly because the rest of the field is so weak,” he said. “If the economy bounces back and inflation comes down, Biden would be the favorite to win despite his obvious incompetence. I think Democrats are nervous because he is clearly not up for the job.”
Perhaps the biggest question is whom Democrats might run in Joe Biden’s absence.
Harris faces approval ratings lower than her boss’s, currently averaging 36% and even flirting with the high 20s in some polls. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has flirted with president-like campaigning — for example, by running televised ads in Florida attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over the July Fourth weekend. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also made some noise, though his young age and relatively thin resume may hold him back in the next cycle.
Age questions plague the president too. He entered office as the oldest commander in chief in American history, turns 80 in November, and would be 86 at the end of a second term.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
For now, Joe Biden is publicly concerned with the midterm elections, which take place in just six weeks. He’s working to hone his sales pitch and making stops in key swing states. But the questions about his future will grow exponentially louder by the time the clock strikes 2023.
“I anticipate that if Biden decides to run, he’ll receive overwhelming support and be renominated,” said Stratton. “I’d like to see him run again.”
