The consensus among much of the political world is that 2024 will likely bring a rematch of the 2020 presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But two years out, a growing number of people in both parties are questioning if either man will (or should) be on the ballot. A new column in the Washington Times lays out the case that voters are ready to move on from both Biden and Trump, who will be 82 and 78 in '24. Recent polls have shown a majority of Democrats don't want Biden to run in 2024, and his support among Dem lawmakers is also very shaky. At the same time, some Republicans have also called for Trump to step aside.
While Trump and Biden both have strong political detractors, the desire to replace them atop their party's ticket stems more from a growing fatigue with the nonstop hyper-partisan political drama from both sides. "A lot of people are simply throwing up their hands and saying we want to get back to normalcy, whatever normalcy is," says Allan Saxe, retired UT-Arlington political science professor. "So a lot of them are just saying to heck with both political parties, and there's been growing talk about even starting a new political party."
Starting a new political party may seem nice in theory, but it's not practical to compete in a presidential election two years away. That means both parties are exploring the alternatives. "Republicans could move to Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, as he is becoming ever more enticing," says Saxe. "But as for who the Democrats are going to pick, I don't think they have nearly as much on their bench as Republicans," he continues. "Kamala Harris? Gavin Newsom?"
"I think it's a real possibility that Democrats are throwing up their hands and saying, you mean we have to go with Joe Biden again? He'll be 108 before long," he continues.
A lot of what happens in '24 will likely hinge on what happens in this year's midterms. "If Republicans do very well this year, and a lot of signs point to that, then Democrats may need out of necessity to go to somebody other than Joe Biden," says Saxe.
Photo: AFP