Three governors ‘contacted potential donors and staff about 2024 if Biden doesn’t seek re-election’
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Three of America’s most influential Democratic governors are speaking to potential donors and staff about a 2024 presidential bid, according to a report — but will only go ahead if President Joe Biden isn’t reelected.
California, Illinois and New Jersey leaders are all eyeing the White House, Reuters reported Friday.
And while California’s Gavin Newsom has long been rumored to be interested, the addition of Illinois’s JB Pritzker and New Jersey’s Phil Murphy comes as a little more of a surprise.
Donald Trump virtually stated that he was in on Thursday night, at a rally in Iowa: “To make our country successful, safe and glorious, I will very, very, very likely do it again. Very, very, very, probably.’
Trump is expected to announce a third White House campaign shortly after the midterms. The New York Times reported on Friday – possibly as early as the week of November 14.
Trump may well face a challenge from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is widely believed to harbor presidential ambitions
JB Pritzker (left), governor of Illinois, and Phil Murphy of New Jersey (right) would also consider a presidential run
Newsom, 55, served as mayor of San Francisco before becoming governor of California in 2019, and is currently seeking a second term — a race he expects to win easily.
On Saturday, he was adamant that he was not interested in the White House.
“It’s not my ambition,” he told CBS News. “It’s not the direction I’m leaning. It’s not the time.’
When asked if he could say he will never run for president, Newsom said, “Yeah, I’m not interested.”
Pritzker, the 57-year-old member of the billionaire Hyatt hotel family consistently called one of America’s richest, was elected governor of Illinois at the same time Newsom was taking California.
A businessman, he entered politics as the national co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign, using it as a springboard to his election as governor.
This summer, he delivered speeches in the crucial states of New Hampshire and Florida, in what many saw as an effort to test the waters.
Still, Illinois voters aren’t thrilled about Pritzker’s presidency: two-thirds said he shouldn’t run, while another 21 percent said they weren’t sure.
Only 13 percent embraced the idea that Pritzker was trying to become the second Illinoisan in the past four presidential elections to sit in the Oval Office, according to one WBEZ/Suntimes poll.
Murphy, 65, a multimillionaire financier who spent 23 years at Goldman Sachs, was elected in January 2018.
He was Barack Obama’s ambassador to Germany before becoming governor.
Asked in January, Murphy told: NJ.com: ‘I don’t run. I’m not running. Jesus, lord, help me.’
When asked specifically if he would jump in the Democratic primaries if Biden doesn’t, Murphy was less adamant.
“Listen, based on everything I hear, he’s on the run again,” the governor said of Biden. ‘So it’s a theoretical question. I’m not disrespectful to you, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.’
Biden, 79, insists he will seek a second term: on November 20, he will become the first 80-year-old US commander in chief.
President Joe Biden gave a positive assessment of his party’s chances in the midterm elections on Friday
If he won again, Biden, who already has the honor of being the oldest elected president, would be 82 when he takes the oath of office for the second time and 86 on his successor’s inauguration day.
Before Biden, Ronald Reagan was the oldest man elected president at age 69.
Biden himself has insisted he plans to run for a second term, and last month Politico reported that discussions would begin in earnest after the midterms, with the First Lady, Jill Biden, playing a key role.
A campaign would be launched in early 2023, the site said.
Reuters reported Friday that if Biden chooses not to participate, his vice president Kamala Harris would be the preferred candidate among Democratic aides.
Yet The Los Angeles TimesFollowing the approval ratings of California-born Harris, the latest polls, dated Oct. 3, show her to be significantly less popular than her four predecessors, at the same point in their terms.
Mike Pence, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore were all rated higher than Harris.
The latest polls show that 39 percent of registered voters had a favorable opinion of Harris, while 53 percent had an unfavorable opinion.
On Friday, the Rose Institute, a California-based polling agency, reported that 42 percent of registered Democrats want Biden back in business. Pete Buttigieg, the Secretary of State for Transport, was linked with Harris as the second choice, with 14 percent choosing them.
Newsom was fifth, behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Pritzker and Murphy were not named.
Trump was the favorite for registered Republicans, followed by DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.