Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak Unsure on Biden Re-Election Bid: ‘I Don’t Know if He Should Run’
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV) cited the stress of the office on Thursday when he commented that he cannot yet endorse the idea of President Joe Biden seeking another term.
“I don’t know if he should run for reelection,” Sisolak said during an interview with the Washington Post. “I think that’s a personal decision he has to make.”
Sisolak added, “I cannot imagine the amount of stress that President Biden is under.”
The Nevada Democrat did comment that he had seen Biden recently and did not indicate he believed his first year in office had taken too great of a physical toll on him.
Sisolak said, “I saw him a couple of weeks back at Senator [Harry Reid’s] funeral, and we had a chance to communicate just a little bit.”
But the governor cited what eight years as president did to former President Barack Obama.
“You saw President Obama,” Sisolak added. “He got to office with dark black hair and he left with hair as gray as mine. You can tell, the stress of the job.”
Indeed, serving as president has been attributed to putting a lot of extra mileage on presidents — particularly Obama.
The country’s 44th chief executive left office in 2017 with grey hair and noticeable wrinkles.
NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 07: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) smiles on stage after the Town Hall Presidential Debate with Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center October 7, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tonight’s debate is the second presidential debate of three, the only one being held in the town hall style with questions coming from audience members. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Barack Obama is interviewed by Vox at the Blair House on January 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. The president discussed the future of Obamacare during a livestreamed broadcast. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)
Former President George W. Bush also aged considerably during his two terms in office, from 2001 to 2009.
George W. Bush in Oct. 2000/ George W. Bush in Jan. 2009
Biden will be 82 the next time voters head to the polls to decide who will be their president.
In spite of his hesitancy to urge the president to seek a second term in 2024, Sisolak clarified Biden has his support.
The governor told the Post he views the president is “an asset” with regard to getting Democrats across the finish line in upcoming state elections.
“To people that like him, he’s a huge asset,” Sisolak said. “The people that are his detractors, he’s not an asset. You know, we’ll stand in Nevada on our record, what we’ve done.”
