OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The steady rise in support for Green Party presidential candidate Cornell West and former Democrat-turned-Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is causing rising angst among allies of President Joe Biden, as they fear his voters will abandon him next November for one of the third-party alternatives.
“While long shots emerge atop the field, Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have proved resilient as oft-competing factions of the party have coalesced around the goal of keeping Biden in the Oval Office,” Breitbart News noted on Tuesday, citing online reports.
In addition, there has been increased speculation that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), who has announced he won’t run for reelection next year, could also mount a challenge under the No Labels Party.
Initial responses to the entrance of both candidates into the 2024 presidential race were mixed as to which major party candidate—Democrat Biden or the frontrunning GOP contender, Donald Trump—would be impacted most. But, as Breitbart reported, increasingly, the upper echelons of the Democratic Party believe Biden will be harmed more than Trump.
NBC News reported: With the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way acting as the hub, other groups in the coalition have focused on their expertise: MoveOn.org is attempting to keep progressive voters in the fold, while “never Trump” organizations like the Lincoln Project are attempting to do the same for moderates. Richard Gephardt, a former House Democratic leader, also founded a new bipartisan organization that has been enlisting Washington graybeards to write op-eds and speak with donors. Reproductive Freedom for All produced an ad claiming No Labels wants a national abortion ban; End Citizens United has been playing up potential campaign finance issues; and the opposition research super PAC American Bridge has retained Democratic lawyer Marc Elias to look for opportunities to bring legal challenges to third-party candidates.
While no third-party candidate has won a modern election, their presence has been acknowledged for influencing certain outcomes, Breitbart noted further.
For instance, Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign is often cited for drawing support away from George H.W. Bush, contributing to Bill Clinton’s victory. In more recent elections, some of Hillary Clinton’s supporters attribute the erosion of her support to Jill Stein, which they believe played a role in Donald Trump’s success in crucial states.
As Biden’s popularity declines amid mounting challenges both domestically and internationally, West and Kennedy aim to capitalize on the same opening that the anxious Democratic establishment is working to address. Allegations have surfaced that Biden’s allies are aggressively targeting a former Biden aide who has spoken out against the struggling campaign, signaling a clear threat to others contemplating breaking the “Biden code of silence.”
“Candidates not named Trump or Biden will likely outperform previous third-party campaign benchmarks in an unprecedented way,” Kurt Bardella, a former Republican operative who left the party over Trump, said, per Breitbart. “While I understand the frustration with the two-party system, the reality is when it comes to the 2024 election, a vote for anyone else but the Democratic nominee is a vote for Donald Trump.”
Earlier this week, Biden’s White House operatives voiced increased frustrations over the media’s accurate reporting regarding the president’s detrimental economic policies and horrendous poll numbers.
According to The Hill, “Someone in the Biden orbit also told The Hill part of the frustration is the disproportionate media focus on the polls that show Biden losing while ignoring polls that show him winning.”
Per The Hill, economic progress is not getting the coverage needed to sway results in the polls. A Biden official told the outlet that the lack of coverage is a “deep frustration.”
“One Biden ally said meetings have taken place because of ‘deep frustration’ over polls but that it did not reflect a panic over the president’s prospects,” The Hill reported.
