AMAC Exclusive – By Barry Casselman
For some time now, I have been making the contrarian argument that Joe Biden will not be the next Democrat nominee for president. I wasn’t the first to contend this, though I was among the few, because it had seemed settled in the establishment media coverage, and among Democrat Party insiders, that Biden-Harris was a done deal for 2024.
Ambitious major Democrat politicians got the establishment message, and none entered the race.
But no one in charge apparently consulted the customers, that is, the voters, including the liberal and progressive voters who make up the left-of-center party.
Two minor candidates, Robert Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson, did announce their candidacies, and Kennedy particularly (and probably mostly because of his famous surname and family), has received much media attention, raised notable contributions, and polled unexpectedly well so far.
The incumbent president and his vice president have languished in very low poll numbers, even among Democrats. Mr. Biden’s age, especially as it has been accompanied by stumbles and blunders almost every day, only has made matters worse, and now there is a steadily growing chorus among friends and foes that he should step down.
The question arises then — who can the Democrats nominate in his place? And if Joe Biden is going to retire, when should he do it?
It has been a common refrain, especially among Republicans, that the Democrats have no political “bench” that logically leads to a successor. Contenders from the past, such as Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, are too old and controversial. Some promising younger Democrats, including recently elected Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, do not seem quite ready for prime-time next year. The “Hail Mary” choice of Michelle Obama seems unrealistic.
But there are some other prominent Democrats who are quite likely to run in 2024 if Mr. Biden does step down.
California Governor Gavin Newsom would probably be the frontrunner among them. He certainly has been the most visible and blatantly self-promoting alternative potential candidate so far, and the most telegenic.
Newsom’s term as chief executive of the nation’s largest state, however, has been mixed and contentious. As the newest figure in the Pelosi-Getty-Newsom California political dynasty, he was able to survive a recall election, but the state is undergoing many serious social and economic problems, and for the first time is losing population and industries.
Other major Democrat figures who might eventually enter the presidential race are Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Commerce Secretary (and former Rhode Island Governor) Gina Raimondo, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and one of the Castro brothers from Texas. Vice President Kamala Harris likely also would run. As has happened in the recent past, new and unexpected candidates could enter the race as well.
With his access to major campaign funding, the very large California delegation to his party’s national convention in Chicago next year, his national name recognition, and his media savvy, it would appear that Mr. Newsom is the man to beat if Biden exits the race later this year or early next year.
The timetable for such a retirement would be important. If it takes place soon, that gives the other potential candidates, or a new entrant, time to get better known and build a winning campaign in televised Democrat debates — debates that are not now even scheduled.
Most Democrat strategists believe their candidate, even Joe Biden, will win if Donald Trump is the opponent in November 2024. While former President Trump leads in early GOP polls, the Republican nomination battle remains undecided, and Mr. Trump and his most significant GOP challenger, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, will probably go through most of the Republican primaries before the nomination is won.
Nevertheless, polls are currently indicating that either Mr. Trump or Mr. DeSantis could defeat Mr. Biden, and if that continues and grows worse for Biden, the urgency for a new Democratic ticket increases significantly.
An additional pressure on Biden is that the recent expansion of election “day” to election “month” with mail-in voting and ballot harvesting, which most Republicans feel gave Democrats an unfair advantage in 2020 and 2022, will apparently not go unchallenged by Republicans in the 2024 election cycle, especially in key battleground states. Republican campaigns are promising the hardball campaigns necessary to win the close races—which could weigh heavily on Democrats as they consider whether it’s necessary to change up the ticket.
There are also sure to be a number of unexpected developments between now and when voters start casting their ballots that could shake up the expected tickets for both parties.
The man has had Alzheimer’s for a long time, [since 2018 I think] so why does everyone talk about him running again?? He doesn’t even know where he is half of the time and he is still in office! Which leads to another question who is running the country, Obama?? And whoever it is it is certainly is not Biden or Harris. So why is no-one doing anything about this?
Only reason Gavin Newscum survived the recall was because he harvested ballots and ‘fraud’ (which he’s good at). I don’t know of one person that voted for him to begin with but when you have votes from dead people and illegals it gives you an edge.
I don’t care who they nominate, it will be a cold day in hell before I would ever vote for ANY democrat.
Trump 2024 MAGA forever
The Democrats’ names are biased, bigoted, and incompetent people. Can we not scrap the party system (both), and seek leaders with character, leadership, morality, and strength of conviction for Americans? Uphold the law, ensure safety, and responsibility in society, and stop this ANTI mentality for sick and bloated horse pucky! Add other traits too, a dire change is needed.!
Citizens vote in “representatives” but they are not. DC bound, at the mercy of lobbyists, taking money, and the citizens who put them there are not asked, ignored until time for reelection. Those criteria and keeping elected in the home state, citizen engagement, and term limits are a good start. We are treated shabby, by many in government who see themselves above the 333 million citizens.
Disgusting behavior by those seeking power and control, cannot be trusted, hidden information of all types, and few doing their jobs. Change this mess if anything positive is to emerge.
Not Newsom for god’s sake NOT him. Democrats will just put someone in like they did Biden. I want TRUMP2024
The Dem’s do not have a deep bench of candidates. Period! Whoever they pick it will be another nincompoop, with no brains and a real hatred for America! How else can anybody explain how corrupt the Democratic Party has become in recent times. If lying was a virtue, then all Dem’s would be going to heaven, and we all know that’s not going to happen. MAGA
There have been enough brain dead people to keep Newsom in office and I don’t doubt that he may be able to win the democrat party nomination. Seems like a majority of the voters are only interested in charisma and lofty speeches and who the mainstream media likes. It worked for Obama and Biden.It will prorbably work for Newsom.
Even if the mainstream media is reporting false information it is up to the voter to do some research of how candidtates voted on important issues. Once again look at Newsoms record and theres no way he should ever win anything.
Anyone but a Demoncrap…..
No election needs to be done. Election month fraud is already in place. Sloppy will become the candidate and he will win. There are too many uninformed sheep that will vote democrat no matter what. This country has become about how photogenic the candidate is. Anyone with good programs for the people and the nation need not apply.
Who is going to save America? It is not the American voter. They have allowed white racism, allowed migrants to come into this country and be supported at the cost of citizens. Homelessness is rampant, drug use is up as well as death from drug use. Inflation keeps going forward every day. Gas prices are breaking the wallets of many. Criminality is up with the blessing of sloppy. Go ahead and steal and kill people. Sloppy sets you free and locks up the victims of these crimes. Any voice speaking against his agenda, fake charges are brought and you are locked up for looking sideways at a dem. See the law they want to pass in Michigan. They are substituting all concrete laws to subjective law. That way they can interpret them to their thinking what you did. Even they can convict you on what they think you were thinking. We are all on a short lease and they have the people where they want them. They are telling us to jump and most of them ask, how high. Those that think differently are afraid to say so and there are not enough of them to vote them out for fraud is already in place. And we are back to the beginning. The circle is unbroken. We are not the French that stand up and protest.
We do not impeach, for everyone is weaponized or bought. Mutilating our kids. Teaching our kids their propaganda. Taking parental rights away. Everything is in place to make America a third world country
History tells me that the Democrats need us in a war to get President Biden re-elected.
Biden was supposed to be gone after his first year in office. He was thought to be a placeholder for an even more demonic dem, but he’s still there. I can think of no better reason than that his lack of character and integrity, coupled with dementia, makes him perfect for the coven that runs him. The treason party is accomplishing its goals with him, starting with grinding the country down on the world stage. Why not keep this mindless shadow in place to do as he’s told? I look for him to start blubbering about being moderate. After all, robotic dem voters put him there on that basis.
it doesn’t matter who is on the ballot, the election will be stolen again. Honest elections are history, but if you want to ignore the obvious, have fun.
Of all of those listed as possible Democrat candidates for President, I don’t like any of them!!! They have all become much more radicalized and weird!!! Gavin has destroyed California just as Biden is destroying the country so even 4 years of Gavin would be simply more destruction and more spending of money we don’t have!!!!
The Communist Demonrats are NOT a Political Party.. they should be terminated with extreme prejudice .. They are Deliberately Destroying The United States of America ..
There is a rabbit to be pulled out of the hat It will nor be the same old I am certain we are in for a shock
Please NEVER Newsom. A terrible governor and was twice tried to be removed. He has done nothing but damage to California. He will only continue to destroy. We need someone who can mend what has been done, not continue and make it worse. He is so full of himself already, nothing will stop him.
Kennedy is the only that makes sense.
NO Dimm candidate has a record of SUCCESS! Newsome runs a bankrupt state full of criminals and perverts and throws big dinner parties while shutting citizens in their homes under threat of arrest. Pritzker’s state is nearly bankrupt and he is a new Mussolini. Ditto Whitmer whose husband gets special privileges while others suffer. ButtGig couldn’t even run a small city; his ONLY qual is how he performs sex.
If we have a troop of observers watching the polling stations, we will win in alandslide!
That would be purgatory
I have not felt safe since Hidin Bidin took office, I doubt I feel will safe ever again even after he leaves (how many bad actors have passed through that border in the three years this idiot has been in charge)?
I fail to understand why Biden would even be a consideration by the DNC or any single Democrat. He walked into the presidency after hiding in the basement and clearly showed everybody how terribly he was suffering from dementia and has continued to worsen until now it is clear he has reached the point of Alzheimers. People around him discuss his extreme and quick anger and his vulgar mouth. These show that he is going into Alzheimers because he doesn’t he doesn’t know who he is even talking to, he clearly understands very little. It is to the detriment of our country and each individual that he never sits in the oval office again. I personally wish Robert Kennedy gets the nomination. One thing I would love to see happen is the grounding of Air Force 1. Joe Biden never needs to represent us again in any foreign country. Stop him NOW!!!! Never again should he leave America for any reason!!
The DNC was expecting to have joe serve one term and then usher in klamala. They were not counting on how unpopular she would be with the general public.
No corrupt Democrats will work. Just look at the past few Biden years he and the Democratic Congress have been destroying our great country. Anyone who runs for a political office no matter what affiliation they are should by law be required at their own expense have a complete psych and medical physical signed off by doctors approved by the limp Congress. This should be ongoing while they are in office as well. It seems to me like during this Democratic dismantling of our great country I am constantly taking notes from a Biden Fetterman discussion. How confusing is this and how can things that need doing get done. America knows that both Biden & Fetterman et al are not medically sound and hence not capable of running our Republic. How can we get these unfit corrupt people out of office once they are in. Shouldn’t be that hard to do. America deserves better. We need someone to grow a pair, abide by our great Constitution and make America #1 again where we belong. It isn’t no Democrat!
I know that nobody likes Kamala, repeat nobody. But I can’t help wondering what might happen if Joe Biden were to die in office (of natural causes), or after being convinced not to run again, he were to resign due to his health. Either scenario would make Kamala the incumbent. With the trappings of an incumbent, and still able to distance herself from the adverse baggage of Biden, would it influence the Dems to nominate her, and if they did, how would she, as the incumbent, do in the General Election?
California is not the largest state. Maybe the most populated state? And, absentee voting has been an option for how long? Good decent Americans have used that option when they are outside their district when voting the old fashioned way,
the crook from Manhattan, charged with rape, in deep trouble with the law, attacked our intelligence agencies, wants the Chairman of Joint Chiefs EXECUTED would make a great president.
Brandon has dementia an Harris is not smart enough to have dementia. Newsom bought his recall victory.
Why does this article refer to California as the largest state? Last I heard Alaska was much bigger and Texas comes in as the second largest!
… crux of the dilemma with the Democrat party, stupidity. You can’t solve stupid –
None of the Democratic possibles mentioned in the article is worth “a hill of beans”, as we used to say down South. The Republican candidates should seize this opportunity and let the Democrats bury themselves, with a little help from the Republicans with the shovel.
If I didn’t believe the election is already fixed, I’d say it matters who runs. But the left machine will do as they have for years, and especially last year, and it won’t matter who votes or for whom, they will win. I doubt it would be someone they couldn’t control, however, so Kennedy is probably out.
I’m think the turtle should run for president on the democrat ticket. He has been no help to republicans.
I meant that as an answer to Norma
Newsom????
I believe it will be Michelle Obama