Democrats quietly making 2024 contingency plans ahead of midterms
by Hanna Trudo - 10/16/22 5:45 PM ET
Democrats behind the scenes are already talking about and making contingency plans for 2024 in case President Biden decides not to seek a second term, moves expected to intensify immediately after Election Day.
Nov. 8 won’t just decide what Congress looks like for the next two years. It will in many ways kick off the presidential campaign season and determine what that looks like for Democrats.
If they do better than expected, Biden could make a strong case for running again and the likelihood that he’ll get a credible challenger shrinks. But if Democratic candidates have a bad showing some in the party are expected to call for more options.
“I’ve been very clear,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said at a Nexstar sponsored-debate against Republican nominee J.D. Vance this week. “I’d like to see a generational change.”
At age 79, Biden has called himself “a bridge” between generations of Democratic politicians. Top leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 82, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), 71, are in his age range, and administration officials often swat off questions about whether he’ll run again, with public and private statements indicating his intent.
But taken in tandem with the uncertainty of the midterms, the age factor leaves the door open for Democrats to start laying some groundwork, and several have already shown signs that make their aspirations fodder for speculation.
Traveling to early voting and swing states is one of the best ways to assess a politician’s interest in seeking higher office. And just a few weeks out from Election Day, midterm candidates in those places are hoping for a boost from top figures in their party — giving potential presidential hopefuls a built-in reason to be there.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Senate nominee Mandela Barnes, the lieutenant governor, is hoping to get recognizable figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to the battleground state, according to a report in Politico.
A trip by Sanders, 81, would likely be seen as a controversial calculation in the home stretch, but could also raise questions about the senator’s own possible political preparations.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3688894-democrats-quietly-making-2024-contingency-plans-ahead-of-midterms/
