In a turbulent twist of unforeseen political tides, top Democrats are reportedly stirring up the water behind the scenes, reaching out to rising stars within the party with an unusual premonition: President Joe Biden may not be their front runner in the upcoming electoral run. According to confidential sources, there’s a whirlwind of presumptive candidates being examined within the core of the Democratic Party, amidst concerns about Biden’s declining popularity and struggling performance in the White House.
Slow pace of President Biden’s reelection campaign feeds Democrats’ 2024 anxiety https://t.co/LYtQTrI93L
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 13, 2023
CNN reports that top Democrats and big-ticket donors are encouraging their bright, rising talents to prepare for potentially stepping up to the presidential plate, as Biden falters both within the party and across national opinion polls. Particularly alarming are the numbers Biden is posting when squared against the two leading Republican candidates, ex-President Donald Trump and Florida’s dynamic Governor Ron DeSantis.
Intriguingly, rumored prospects aren’t being given any assurance about Biden’s purported disinterest in a re-election bid. As per party insiders, Biden’s party colleagues are asserting that despite the President’s earlier announcements about re-election, it is apt to predict that he will not run again. However, representatives from Biden’s team have refuted these claims, asserting that the 80-year-old President is committed to not only run, but to win.
Amidst this wave of uncertainty within the Democratic camp, one figure who has gained increased national visibility is California Governor Gavin Newsom. At 55, Newsom has poised himself in direct opposition to headlining Republicans such as DeSantis, made memorable appearances on major news outlets, and shown strategic support for fellow Democrats. Betting on the ripple effect of his gubernatorial triumph in 2022, Newsom appears primed to make strategic visits to red states to drive Democrat voter turnout in 2024.
Senior Democrat advisors, one among many distinct voices who contributed their concerns to CNN’s report, admit to being anxious about Biden’s languid campaign pace. The party’s ambitious objectives and the Presidency’s high stakes demand an aggressive, captivating campaign, prompting internal members to question Biden’s approval ratings and public perception.
Central to this crossroad of political strategy is the thinking of renowned Democrat strategist Lis Smith. Smith believes that a key motivator for Democrat voters will not be their affection for Biden, but rather their aversion for Trump. “‘A lot of enthusiasm will come for voting against Republicans’,” she opines, highlighting a dual-edged sword of voter sentiment.
Supporting this view is the data from Morning Consult, a polling organization often relied upon by Trump’s own campaign team, which found in 2020, out of all those who voted for Biden, 44% did so as a vote against Trump. On the flip side, of those who voted for Trump, a significantly smaller number, 22%, responded similarly towards Biden.
As political tides seep into the cracks of party lines and reshape the scope of upcoming democratic elections, questions continue to arise. With rumors of potential Biden replacement candidates, whispers of an ambitious Newsom strategy, and an increasingly polarized electorate, what direction will the Democratic Party – and indeed, the political landscape of America – take? The suspense is palpable, the stakes higher than ever, and we’ll be here to break that news when it happens.
