President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris intend to run for a second term in 2024, but fellow Democrats may stand in their way.
South Carolina’s Democratic primary gave Biden a pivotal victory in 2020, but sentiments are changing in the Palmetto State. Joe Cunningham, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, is the latest voice in a growing chorus calling for new party leadership.
“He should step aside and allow for a new generation of leadership,” Cunningham said. The gubernatorial candidate doesn’t believe “there’s any heir apparent” for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024 and wants “lots of Democratic governors” to launch bids for the White House.
Cunningham’s sentiment is not solely that of Southern Democrats. On Tuesday, the University of New Hampshire published a poll spelling doom for the incumbent president’s chances at winning the state’s presidential primary. Voters in New Hampshire are expressing concerns similar to Cunningham’s about Biden’s age and ability to serve. Seventy-eight percent of New Hampshire voters are “very or somewhat concerned” about the president’s age, and 75% of New Hampshire Democrats share that sentiment. And 74% of New Hampshire voters do not want Biden to run for a second term. Democratic voters’ support for Biden’s reelection efforts crashed from 54% in June to 31% in July.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is statistically tied with Biden as the first pick among New Hampshire Democrats for president: 17% of likely Democratic primary voters chose Buttigieg, while 16% chose Biden.
Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) have the highest net favorability among likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters, clocking in at 54% and 52%, respectively. Yet their net favorability among the general population is underwater, with Buttigieg at minus-8 points and Booker at minus-10.
Democrats are quickly realizing that economic mismanagement is making Biden’s brand toxic. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio, doesn’t want Biden by his side on the campaign trail. “I really don’t want anyone to join me, like, this is my race,” Ryan said in an interview.
Biden can keep feigning ignorance, but Democrats see the writing on the wall. It’s why California Gov. Gavin Newsom runs ads in Florida to position himself against Gov. Ron DeSantis while Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker speaks at Florida Democratic leadership conventions.
If Midwestern, Northeastern, and Southern Democrats don’t want Biden, one has to ask: Who does? His net favorability is negative in 48 states. Biden is above water in Maryland by 2%, and he only breaks even in Vermont.
The vultures circling over Biden’s administration are card-carrying Democrats. When the perfect moment arises, Newsom and other presidential hopefuls will launch their bids for the White House. The priority of the Democratic Party is no longer to Build Back Better but to Beat Back Biden.
James Sweet is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
