Who Will Lead the Democratic Party?
Article by Jayden Monteiro Rosado, TPT Staff Writer
President Biden has been in office since January 20, 2021. He entered office with an approval rating of 53 percent, according to a poll done by FiveThirtyEight following his inauguration. Since then, President Biden has seen a significant drop in his poll numbers. He has stated in interviews that he does intend on throwing his hat in for the 2024 Democratic nomination, but has not officially announced his campaign. There is a lingering question among Americans, especially Democrats: Should Biden run for reelection in 2024, or should he let someone else lead the way in the Democratic Party?
Unfortunately, the answer is not as cut and dry as some think. While there are many incredible, progressive politicians in the Democratic Party who are seen by many as potential candidates for the presidency, such as members of “The Squad,” like Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez from New York or Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts. Some other names that have been mentioned as potential future Democratic nominees for the presidency include Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Photo via The Washington Post/Jim Lo Scalzo/Shutterstock
Most of these individuals would do a phenomenal job advancing the progressive agenda, but unfortunately there are several problems with these people. For one, the members of the House of Representatives, such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ayanna Pressley have been so brutally attacked by conservative media outlets like Fox News, and even by some establishment Democrats like Representative Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for their far-left views, which could turn away voters. Senator Bernie Sanders’ age, as with President Biden, could be a problem. He is currently 81 years old and will be 83 by the election in November of next year, which raises fears that if he were to be elected president, that he would not make it through his term. The same goes for Senator Warren.
So far, there doesn't seem to be any one obvious leader in the Democratic Party other than Biden. To further exacerbate the situation for the Democratic Party, there are several candidates on the Republican side, as well as potential candidates who have not announced, who have demonstrated an interest in becoming the next leader of the Republican Party. People such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, and most notably, Florida Governor Ron Desantis. Unlike on the Democratic side, the possible new leaders of the Republican Party are trending younger.
Another name that had come up for possible Democratic presidential candidates in 2024 is Vice President Kamala Harris. She would present a new set of problems for the Democratic Party in 2024, one of which would be her low approval rating of 40% and 52% disapproval rating. Her dismal showing during her unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2020 is a large part of why there is weariness about her running.
A poll was recently released in which 56% of Americans oppose the idea of Biden running for a second term, compared to 54% who are opposed to the idea of former president Donald Trump running for president in 2024.
Obviously, the Democrats have a lot to figure out with regard to who will lead the party into the future. It has become a battle between traditional establishmentarianism and progressivism. It will be up to both the party leaders, and more importantly, the voters, to decide what direction the Democratic Party will go in, and who will make it a reality for the party. So it is time for the Democrats to get to work and make a concerted effort to change course if they are genuinely interested in having any chance of defeating the Republicans next year, not only in the White House, but in both chambers of Congress, and in states all over the nation.
The views articulated in this piece are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official stances of The Progressive Teen or High School Democrats of America.