President Joe Biden has warded off primary challenges from popular Democratic politicians in 2024 despite looming concerns over his age.
Despite various calls for prominent Democratic governors to force the 80-year-old Biden into a competitive contest, some of the party's brightest stars have appeared to fall in line behind Biden, and several are even raising money on his behalf.
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Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Tim Walz (D-MN), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), and Tony Evers (D-WI) have rejected calls to run against Biden, and instead, several of them have emerged to become some of the president's most effective surrogates in his reelection campaign (particularly Newsom). A 2024 run from the California governor has been the subject of speculation, prompting a barrage of articles previewing a possible campaign.
However, the Biden campaign considers Newsom to be an important component of its surrogate effort. The California Democrat has denied that he is running for president in 2024 and is currently using his PAC, Campaign for Democracy, to raise money for Biden's reelection campaign. He will even take on presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in a November debate, where he plans to defend Biden's record and vision for the country.
According to a source with knowledge of Biden's surrogate effort, all of these prominent politicians are team players in the Democratic operation and want to see the party have the best chance in 2024. They believe a primary battle against the incumbent president wouldn't put the party in the best position to win in 2024.
Further, there wasn't necessarily convincing needed to get these governors to line up behind Biden. Rather, it was an independent decision from most of them to support the president and put their own White House ambitions on hold.
Another governor being eyed as a future leader of the party is Whitmer. She has reiterated her support for Biden's 2024 campaign on several occasions, though, despite glowing magazine profiles framing her as a future president. Similar to Newsom, Whitmer is using her newly launched Fight Like Hell PAC to fundraise for Biden.
Walz, another governor getting looks as a possible future Democratic nominee, even made an appearance at the Iowa State Fair to stump for Biden. Republican presidential candidates were also present in full force, making their cases to voters in the state.
Following a renewed call from Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) for a "moderate governor, hopefully from the heartland" to run as a Democrat for president in 2024, Walz, his state's governor, seemed to reiterate his commitment to the party's effort to reelect Biden.
Phillips indicated recently on NBC's Meet the Press that Whitmer, Walz, Evers, Shapiro, and Pritzker would fit the bill for a Biden challenger.
"The Blue Wall," Walz tweeted after Phillips's appearance, posting a photo of himself, Whitmer, and Evers.
The Blue Wall pic.twitter.com/S69LfsuFYy
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) August 13, 2023
During his trip to the Illinois State Fair this week, Pritzker reiterated his support for Biden.
"Joe Biden is the best person for the country, Kamala Harris our vice president too. We are excited to have the best convention in the entire country, in fact in the history of the Democratic Party," he told reporters.
He further dismissed questions about a 2024 run from him, saying: "I am for Joe Biden. I am fighting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and they are going to win in November of 2024."
This unified support for Biden among the party's rising stars has been beneficial for his campaign, granting him a more expansive fundraising operation with local allies boosting him while he is focused on the responsibilities of the presidency.
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The only primary challengers come in the form of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson, both of whom haven't shifted the scales in the polls. The majority of likely Democratic primary voters continue to say they would vote for Biden.
RFK Jr., specifically, has drawn criticism for his relative popularity among Republicans, as well as news that he hired a Republican state representative in New Hampshire to work on his campaign.