Biden Surprises Staffers by Delaying 2024 Announcement - Here Are the Factors Reportedly Being Considered
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is going nowhere fast, and that has some Democrats getting antsy.
Former President Donald Trump and several other Republicans have declared they are candidates for their party’s nomination in 2024. And although Biden has said he expects to seek a second term, the official announcement has been on hold.
Axios reported that as Biden waits, he has “left many ambitious Democrats and would-be staffers with their 2024 plans on hold.” The site noted that initial expectations were that after talking the idea over with his family at Christmas, he would announce a campaign early this year.
That has not happened.
Some say Biden has nothing to lose by waiting.
“He’s earned the luxury of making the timetable. The longer he can keep this thing focused on his duties in the White House, and less about the campaign back-and-forth, the better off he’s going to be,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, according to the Associated Press.
“He’s not going to win re-election or lose re-election based on what happens in his campaign. He’s going to win it based on his performance as president and the performance of his opponent, whoever it is,” Bannon said.
Axios’s report indicated that Biden could be waiting until after a trip this month to Ireland and for upcoming budget and debt ceiling battles with congressional Republicans. Biden may also want to have solid fundraising numbers, Axios speculated, because those are seen as a litmus test of a campaign’s viability.
Axios noted that key positions in any campaign — including a campaign manager — have yet to be filled.
The report also offered a bit of speculation that if Biden were to change his mind, the longer he waits before pulling out, the better the odds Vice President Kamala Harris could swoop in and garner the nomination.
In February, frustration with Biden’s lack of announcement crept into the media.
“Obviously, it creates doubts and problems if he waits and waits and waits,” Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh said, according to Politico.
“But if he were to somehow not declare until June or something, I think some people would be stomping around. There would be a lot of negative conversation … among Democratic elites, and I just think that would force them to ultimately have to make a decision,” he said.
“I just don’t think he can dance around until sometime in the summer.”
Politico noted that many of those fretting over Biden are worried also about being a step behind if he does not run.
“Without being overly aggressive, everyone’s still keeping the motor running just in case, and they’re not being bashful about it,” an unnamed Democratic donor said, according to Politico.
“On the phone, everyone is very clear and has the same sentence up front: ‘If Joe Biden is running, no one will work harder than me, but if he’s not, for whatever reason, we just want to make sure we’re prepared for the good of the party,’” the donor said.
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