Naomi Lim of the Washington Examiner reports on Democratic discord related to the 2024 presidential election.
The White House is grappling with a whisper campaign about President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection prospects as his poll numbers slide and record-high inflation and supply chain kinks persist.
But the circular firing squad, which has become commonplace in Democratic politics, is likely to exacerbate what history dictates will be a difficult midterm election cycle for the party.
Democratic strategist Stefan Hankin ripped the intraparty fracas as unhelpful, describing it as “very typical of Democrats.”
“We’re terrible at this,” he said. “We cannot actually win elections if our life depended on it.”
Hankin attributed the chatter to Biden’s below-40% average approval ratings and more liberal Democrats being disappointed with his progress in areas such as climate, immigration, and student loan debt forgiveness. Far-left Democrats declined to comment when the Washington Examiner reached out for their perspective.
“If we divide behind him, then we’re not going to win,” Hankin said. “If I’m picking a flag-bearer of the party off the bat, am I picking an 80-plus-year-old white guy? Probably not, but this is who is at the top of the party right now, and we’ve got to stick behind him in order to have a chance at success.”
Hankin did downplay the importance of firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) not endorsing Biden for 2024 in comments over the weekend. Hankin said he would be more worried if a centrist Democrat expressed concern given the liberal tactic of pressuring Biden regarding the coalition’s priorities.
A separate Democratic strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reiterated that he had no personal ill feelings toward Biden but is “ready for change” based on Democratic leadership being “older,” “white,” “weak,” and “out of touch.”
“I don’t know whether or not Joe Biden’s the right candidate in 2024,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like he’s meeting the moment.”