CNN’s Chris Cillizza Lists Democrats ‘Who Could Replace Joe Biden in 2024’
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CNN’s politics reporter Chris Cillizza dropped a list of the eleven Democrats he thinks could replace President Joe Biden on the ballot in the 2024 presidential election. The list is yet another sign of Biden’s diminishing popularity and influence within his own party.
Cillizza’s list was published just hours before New York Times columnist Brett Stephens published an op-ed entitled: Biden Should Not Run Again — and He Should Say He Won’t.
“Combine President Joe Biden’s age (he’ll be 82 shortly after the 2024 election) and his ongoing political struggles (he’s mired in the low 40s in job approval) and you get this: a series of stories examining whether Biden runs again and, if not, who might take his place,” Cillizza explained of the moment Biden finds himself in.
Cillizza noted that Press Secretary Jen Psaki, addressing the elephant in the room, unequivocally stated that Biden will seek reelection and there is no discussion at the White House otherwise.
“But … what if Biden’s plans change?” mused Cillizza, highlighting the difficulty the White House is having in shutting down this media narrative.
Cillizza then went on to list his eleven Democratic contenders. He started off with the obvious top-two choices Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
While referencing the purported rivalry between the two, he notes that Harris has “undoubtedly struggled” but remains the “most likely” successor to Biden and praises Buttigieg as “the most naturally talented candidate” the Democrats have to offer.
Cillizza then lists, Senators Elizabeth Warran (D-MA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), two other 2020 presidential contenders that made some waves — including a shared endorsement by the New York Times for the Democratic nomination.
While not getting too excited by either Warren or Klobuchar, Cillizza then gets a bit more creative, adding North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Cooper is term-limited in 2024 and Landrieu is playing a major role in the Biden administration’s implementation of the infrastructure bill, which gives both a launching pad from which to build name recognition.
The last four names on the list are Governors Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Phil Murphy (D-NJ), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), and candidate for governor Stacey Abrams (D-GA). Whitmer and Murphy are not renowned for their popularity and Cillizza argues Pritzker has two things going for him: “he’s the governor of a major Midwestern state (Illinois) and 2) he’s very, very rich.”
As for Abrams, who has never won statewide office, how she fares in the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election will likely determine her national viability. All in all, Cillizza’s list feels very underwhelming and he cautions, “ If Biden decides not to run, chances are we would be looking at a very crowded field of Democrats seeking to replace him.”
