This article from Axios is truly eye-opening when it comes to the Democrats 2024 prospects.
First off, 75% of Democrat voters think Biden should retire at the end of his term -- and now MANY Democratic politicians are refusing to touch the issue with a ten-foot poll.
Here's the chart from Axios:
That is A LOT of people dodging the question.
It is a midterm year with one of the most unpopular presidents in history, so it's not a shock that Dems are hesitant to associate themselves with the failing president.
But it also shows a tremendous lack of party loyalty from the Democrats.
Trump was never this unpopular with Republican politicians, especially not in the 2018 midterms.
Here's some analysis from Axios:
A startling number of lawmakers in President Biden's own party have been unwilling in recent days to say he should seek re-election in 2024, amid gnawing fears he'll be too old or unpopular to win.
Why it matters: Backing your own party's first-term president is usually so automatic that no one would bother to ask. But behind the scenes, there's a very real concern that going all in on Biden could be a mistake.
Reality check: Some Democrats privately don't want Biden to run again, for three reasons:
- 1. He's deeply unpopular. Many Americans associate him with inflation, high gas prices, entrenched COVID-19 and an inglorious end to the war in Afghanistan.
- 2. Progressives want a move away from centrism and convention.
- 3. Many Democratic voters want generational change. Biden was older when he took office than Ronald Reagan was when he left office. If re-elected, Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term.
There's a storm brewing in the Democrat party.
As noted, it's usually automatic that a politician would back their own party's president no question. The fact that some have said no and others straight-up refuse to talk about shows how deeply unpopular Biden is at every level.
A handful of vocal House Democrats have been clear they don't think President Biden should — or will — run again.
- • Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) told a local radio show last week: "I think the country would be well served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats who step up," after replying "no" to the question of whether he would support Biden in 2024.
- • Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) told MinnPost: "I think Dean Phillips and I are in lockstep and alignment with that, and I'm going to do everything in my power as a member of Congress to make sure that we have a new generation of leadership."
- • Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) told Axios he has heard rumblings on the Hill that some want younger leadership, even though he doesn't agree with that. "If the president decides not to run again obviously it's going to be game on," Rep. Kildee said. "But he's got to make that decision."
- • Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said — on two separate occasions — that she doesn't believe Biden will run for president again. She has since clarified that she wants him to run, but maintained during a CNN interview on Thursday: "I happen to think you [Biden] won't be running."
I think the Democrats have already moved on from Biden, it's just a matter of who's going to tell Joe.
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