Topline
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) might mount a third presidential bid if President Joe Biden chooses not to seek another term, according to a memo obtained by the Washington Post, but the suggestion is almost certainly moot since the president has repeatedly indicated he’s planning to run for reelection in 2024.
Nobody greased these palms: Then Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … [+]
Key Facts
A memo from Sanders advisor Faiz Shakir was shared with political allies on Wednesday notifying them that “in the event of an open 2024 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Sanders has not ruled out another run for president,” according to the Post.
Biden, 79, has already said he plans to run for reelection so long as he remains “in good health.”
Sanders, an 80-year-old self-described democratic socialist, placed second in the Democratic presidential primaries in both 2016 and 2020.
Sanders’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes, but a spokesman told the Post: “While it’s frustrating this private memo leaked to the media, the central fact remains true, which is that Senator Sanders is the most popular officeholder in the country.”
Key Background
The reported memo was circulated as Sanders ramps up campaigning efforts for candidates in the 2022 midterms, and warns about attacks likely to come against candidates the senator endorses. Sanders is widely regarded as the most left-leaning member of the Senate, and his runs for president in 2016 and 2020 vaulted him into one of the highest-profile figures on the political left, whose endorsement is widely coveted by progressive candidates. Sanders during his runs positioned himself as a left-wing alternative to the more moderate candidates that eventually won the Democratic nomination: Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Sanders has remained generally supportive of Biden throughout his presidency, but has maintained that the two have “strong differences” on policy that has occasionally led to Sanders publicly criticizing the president. Sanders has recently been among the most vocal critics of Biden’s plan to increase the military budget in response to the war in Ukraine.
Tangent
Biden’s approval rating has been tanking, falling from about 54% at this time last year to now around 42%, according to FiveThirtyEight, and polling suggests that Republicans are likely to capture majorities in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. Biden seems to be especially struggling with younger voters. A Gallup poll released last week found Biden with only a 39% approval rating among Generation-Z voters and 40% support with Millennials, despite holding 60% support among both generations during the early days of his presidency. Sanders’ support from young voters was a key facet of his earlier presidential bids.
Further Reading
‘I’m Not Joe Biden’: Bernie Sanders Snaps Back At President (Forbes)
Sanders ‘has not ruled out another run for president’ if Biden doesn’t (Washington Post)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/20/bernie-sanders-reportedly-wont-rule-out-2024-presidential-bid-but-only-if-biden-doesnt-run/