Fears over President Biden’s old age are rampant within the Democratic Party, and one lawmaker revealed exactly what the “nightmare scenario” is for the party in the 2024 election cycle.
The Washington Post interviewed dozens of Democratic officials and politicians on the state and federal levels regarding Biden’s re-election bid. While they did not oppose his candidacy or name-drop other potential options, they were nevertheless nervous about putting forward an 80-year-old.
One lawmaker, who the Post says spoke on condition of anonymity, painted a particularly worrying picture for the party.
“The worst-case scenario is we get past the nominating process with President Biden as the nominee, and then he’s no longer able to continue on as the nominee,” the lawmaker said. “That’s the nightmare scenario for Democrats.”
Biden would be 82 by the time he entered office if he wins re-election in 2024, and a mid-campaign health issue would devastate Democrats’ hopes of taking the White House.
Washington Post Columnist David Ignatius, one of Biden’s longtime favored voices in media, publicly urged the president to step aside.
“I don’t think Biden and Vice President Harris should run for re-election,” he wrote last week.
“It’s painful to say that, given my admiration for much of what they have accomplished. But if he and Harris campaign together in 2024, I think Biden risks undoing his greatest achievement – which was stopping [former President] Trump.”
Meanwhile, a recent poll showed the consensus among American voters is clear: They believe Biden is too old to run again.
An August poll from The Associated Press/NORC found that even 69% of Democrats say Biden is too old to effectively lead in another four-year term at the White House. When including independents and Republicans, that number jumps to 77%.
Biden is the oldest candidate to run for president in U.S. history, followed closely by former President Donald Trump, 77.
Trump does not face the same scrutiny about his age, however, with fewer than half of Americans saying he is too old to hold office, according to the AP poll.