The speculation comes amid Biden’s low approval ratings and concerns about his age.
In that list -which excludes two declared opponents of the president, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson- three women and two men appear.
The list is made up of Kamala Harris, current vice president, who would be Biden’s natural “heir” if he abandoned his re-election bid, but there are members of the party itself who are not enthusiastic about the idea.
Among other factors, Harris has received worse ratings than her boss in polls, and some skeptics say she could struggle in key Midwestern states that are decisive in the Electoral College.
However, she recently declared publicly that she is prepared “if necessary” for the inauguration as president of the United States.
The name of California Governor Gavin Newsom is another one mentioned behind the scenes.
At one point this year, Newsom raised his profile and captured the attention of the press in moves such as buying television time in the east of the country to attack his Florida Republican counterpart, Ron DeSantis, who is running for his party’s nomination.
However, Newsom is now trying to put aside rumors about whether he will jump into the presidential race and has decided to endorse Biden’s candidacy.
In an interview with NBC he stated that we must “get over this notion that he will not run,” in reference to the controversy over the 46th President’s age, his mental health and his ability to serve in office.
“There has been a lot of commotion in recent months and concern about this,” but “President Biden will run and I look forward to him being re-elected.”
He also opined that if a replacement is necessary, Harris is the one who is “naturally aligned” to take over.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, like Harris, was one of Biden’s rivals for the 2020 nomination.
That year he withdrew from the presidential race to boost Biden’s race and prevent what they then considered “the progressive threat posed by Senator Bernie Sanders.”
Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, winner in a state that backed Donald Trump in 2016, is a political figure who generates appeal.
Whitmer could move the Democratic base with her position in favor of abortion rights.
An article in The Hill newspaper recalled that Republicans thought Whitmer would be vulnerable in her re-election bid last year, but thanks to the passage of an abortion-related measure on the same day, she defeated her Republican rival Tudor Dixon by more than 10 points.
Press articles have already launched headlines like “Why not Whitmer?” in reference to her eventual candidacy.
Completing the list of potential presidential candidates is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the House of Representatives for New York, who supported Biden’s possible re-election, although there are those who consider that she did not close the door to launch herself.
If Biden were to step back, he would be electrifying fans and detractors alike, the newspaper noted.
Her supporters applaud her energetic advocacy of progressive positions, her ability to connect with the new generation of voters, and her charisma, but her right-wing detractors label her as a left-wing extremist.
Meanwhile, within her party the most centrist members argue that she is not electable in a national vote.
Should Biden not run, Ocasio-Cortez (October 13, 1989) would be the minimum age required to hold the highest office in the country, because she will turn 35 about three weeks before the 2024 election.
A CNN/SSRS poll released this week found just 39 percent support for the president’s performance, his lowest figure in more than a year.
Almost three-quarters of the population, the survey emphasized, believes that Biden lacks the stamina and acumen to effectively carry out the office of president.
Even among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 67 percent said the party should choose someone else as its choice for the 2024 election.
However, most Democrats think that Biden, who will turn 81 on November 20, will effectively be the party’s candidate in the upcoming fight for the White House.
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