Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Ticket In a Precarious Position – Will President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris run again on the same ticket?
There is much speculation that Joe Biden could step down or get sick and not run for re-election. As for Harris, she could be replaced with another candidate. Both have difficulty with low approval numbers.
Also, Democrats polled often say they do not want Joe Biden to run again. At 80, he is the oldest president in history and many left-leaning voters want someone younger. Biden and Harris show every indication that they will run again, although the pair have not officially announced their re-election campaign.
Approval Ratings for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Need Improvement
The polls are not good. Biden’s approvals are only at 43 percent, according to surveys compiled by aggregator FiveThirtyEight. Harris has approval in the 41.5 percent range from that source.
These numbers have improved since Biden’s State of the Union speech, which some saw as evidence that the president could get off the mat and deliver punches against his critics. This address could be seen as a kickoff to his re-election campaign.
Harris Regaining Her Footing
Harris may have found some momentum. She led a delegation to the Munich Security Conference recently and did not stumble or fall victim to any gaffes. This is a difficult time in U.S. foreign policy with Russia and China rearing their ugly heads, so the trip, which had low expectations for the vice president, should be seen as a victory.
But Many Want Different Candidates to Run
Harris has difficulty winning everyone over though. A Rasmussen poll found that only 39 percent of Americans want her to remain on the ticket.
Polling is similar for Joe Biden. Just 30 percent of voters want Biden to run again, according to a Washington Post/ ABC News poll conducted in early February. But if he officially announces his re-election campaign those numbers will likely increase when voters see that no-one is running against him.
Shallow Bench for Democrats
Potential candidates such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg among others, are making no moves for their own primary campaigns against Biden. Newsom has said he will never primary Biden and Buttigieg is having difficulty in his current job. No others have the name recognition or national fund raising and grassroots organization for a national campaign. One candidate who could emerge is Senator Elizabeth Warren who at one point in the last Democratic primary for president was polling well in the fall of 2019 before she later dropped out. But Warren has made no public statements about potential plans to run against Biden in 2024.
Time Is Wasting
If anyone jumps into the race it would need to be soon. A run against Joe Biden would take a maximum effort and significant amounts of money plus a plan to capture delegates in what would likely be a contested national convention.
Lose Harris at Your Peril
Replacing Harris, who is a historic vice president with many “firsts,” would be a gamble. It would probably inflame tensions with minority and women voters who support the vice president through thick and thin. If you take away Newsom, Buttigieg, and Warren, the cupboard is bare for potential candidates to run for vice president instead of Harris.
So with all this in mind, it looks like a Biden-Harris ticket will happen again. The Democrats will have to do the best they can. Polling numbers for the two could improve. The political team is likely welcoming a re-match with former President Donald Trump, who could be indicted during his campaign.
The Biden team will probably run on Social Security and abortion, plus saving the country from pro-Trump MAGA extremists. This could be a winning formula even though some Democrats are not approving now, they will eventually get on board to support Biden and Harris.
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Author Expertise and Experience
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
