OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Rumors and speculation have surrounded the 2024 presidential election when it comes to the Democrat Party and who will be its candidate for president.
In normal circumstances an incumbent president is presumed to be the person who will head their ticket in the coming election, but Biden will be 82 in 2024 and him attempting to campaign again is not a certainty.
And now CNN has compiled a list of those who could be at the top of the Democrat ticket in the 2024 presidential election.
“Combine President Joe Biden’s age (he’ll be 82 shortly after the 2024 election) and his ongoing political struggles (he’s mired in the low 40s in job approval) and you get this: a series of stories examining whether Biden runs again and, if not, who might take his place,” CNN reporter Chris Cillizza said.
The first two named mentioned were Vice President Kamala Harris, normally the person who would be the heir apparent, but her poll numbers are actually more abysmal than Biden’s.
Of Harris the author said that she’s “undoubtedly struggled as vice president but she’s still the most likely Democrat not named Biden to wind up as the Democratic nominee in 2024.”
Then there is the person Harris is said to be feuding with, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former small town mayor whose number one qualification for president appears to be that he ticks an important “woke” box for the Democrats.
“The most naturally talented candidate in the 2024 field, ‘Mayor Pete’ has also been front and center selling Biden’s infrastructure bill,” the author said.
The names of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are next. They were both in the 2020 Democrat primary and this time, as CNN said, Sen. Warren would not be splitting votes with Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Mitch Landrieu, the man who is charges with implementing Biden’s infrastructure plan is a new name as is Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island governor and current commerce secretary. Raimondo is a relative unknown and regarded as a moderate.
The next three are governors. Starting with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who came into national prominence by being a staunch opponent of Donald Trump, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, another liberal who butted heads with Trump.
The governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, is also named as a potential candidate, but his main qualification appears to be the fact that he is rich.
And then there is wannabe Governor of Georgia, Stacey Abrams, who ticks two woke boxes for the Democrats but does not have much experience.
“Abrams talked openly about running in 2020 before passing on the race; but she needs to win the Georgia governor’s mansion in 2022 before thinking too much about 2024,”the author said.
The White House has attempted to squash the talk of anyone else being the Democrat nominee.
“There was another round of stories over the weekend about the political fate of the President and the Vice President and who might run in 2024. And it quotes a lot of other Democrats or people who work for them. What is the White House’s message to those Democrats?” a reporter said to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday.
“The White House’s message is: We’re focused right now on what the American people elected the President to do less ab- — just over a year ago, which is to get COVID under control, to put people back to work, and to help give people some breathing room. And we hope other people keep their focus on that as well,” she said.
“Should they knock it off? Is that speculation helpful to you?” the reporter said.
“The President has every intention of running for reelection, so that’s the other message for them,” she said.
