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Harris Snubbed As Pete Buttigieg Rises As Possible Democrat Nominee

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


President Joe Biden is now 79-years-old and, even though he has announced his intention to go for the presidency again in 2024, there are still rumors and whispers about another Democrat possibly taking his place on the ballot.

And the newest name on people’s minds is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, which would be a snub to Vice President Kamala Harris.

And the worst part for Biden and Harris is that no one in the West Wing is shutting down the talk, Business Insider reported.

As a 39-year-old veteran who has already sought the highest office in the land, the US Transportation secretary is seen as a potential successor to Biden in 2028 — or in 2024 if the president reverses course from a planned reelection bid.

Buttigieg, who was confirmed to his Cabinet post in February, recently told Politico that he likes his job and has not thought much about electioneering since getting settled in the nation’s capital.

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“I’d say the other thing that I’m really enjoying about this job, although it’s very demanding and obviously requiring a lot, is that this is the least I have had to think about campaigns and elections in about a decade and that’s a very good thing,” he said last week.

But since he has become a more prominent person in the administration now that the president’s infrastructure bill passed.

“Nobody in the West Wing shuts that down,” someone with knowledge of what is going on said to Politico. “It’s very open.”

But some staffers of color are “frustrated” by the Buttigieg for president talk as they see it as a slight to Harris.

And some believe that picking Buttigieg could damage Democrat’s chances of getting the black vote.

Buttigieg’s political action committee, Win the Era, has been quiet since he joined government earlier this year, but it is still active, with former campaign aides Maxwell Nunes and Michael Halle helping with its upkeep.

However, while on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Buttigieg brushed off any talk of a rivalry with Harris. When the secretary was asked if coverage of Harris’s political standing had any effect on their relationship, he rejected the idea.

“No, because she and I are part of a team that is disciplined and doesn’t focus on what’s obsessing the commentators. We’re too busy with a job to do. She, as the leader in this administration, with her leadership role, and I, and the president, and everybody else in the cabinet and across the administration, are laser-focused on getting the job done,” the transportation secretary said.

“We have been assigned by the president to take on — literally — projects and legislation of generational significance. There’s no room to get caught up in the parlor games, and I’m proud to be part of the Biden-Harris team,” he said.

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He talked about being hyped for new projects that are coming thanks to the infrastructure law being passed.

“What excites me most is that we’re going to have a lot of groundbreakings and eventually a lot of ribbon cuttings,” he said.

And it could be a wise idea to pick Buttigieg since Harris’ approval ratings are also taking a nosedive.

The LA Times has been tracking national opinion polls to help gauge how voters view Harris.

As of this week, 42% of registered voters had a favorable opinion of Harris and 51% had an unfavorable opinion.

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Over the summer, a new survey reveals that several Democrat strategists are alarmed at Harris’ sinking poll numbers and are questioning whether she would actually harm the party in the 2022 midterm elections.

With Harris being so unpopular, strategists worry that she won’t be able to help Democrats on the campaign trail next November.

Harris has become the most unpopular vice president six months into an administration since at least the 1970s.

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