Will Beden run for president again?

White House officials and the Democratic Party say it is almost certain that Mr. Biden will run again. But will he ensure his party's support to run again?

Prince George County in Maryland is the ideal place to measure the pulse of voters, as Mr. Biden won 89% of the vote there, his highest percentage in the 2020 general elections.

Only about a quarter of the 400,000 people rightly vote in the area usually participate in the general elections. Despite turnout, the result is predictable in general elections, the Democrats are almost guaranteed victory in the largest African-American district in the United States.

The district executive, 11 county council members, sheriff, court officer and over 20 lawmakers in the general assembly of state are Democrats.

There is no republic that I think would win within Prince George”, said the chairman of the County Central Democratic Committee, Kent Roberson.

Deputy Chairman of the Republican Central Committee in Prince George County agrees.

A republican victory It won't happen in my life. I'm 70 now. So Maryland is more dominated by the Democrats”, Jim Wass told the Voice of America.

This does not mean that the Republicans in the district should give up voting in general elections, Mr. Wass said.

The time will come when exiting to the election will matter”.

The Issue of Age

What matters to many voters of both parties is that Mr. Biden, the oldest president of the United States, would be 86 if he completed a second term. But in this district where he gained his full victory in 2016, would he be able to defeat all challengers of preliminary elections within the party in 2024?

I don't believe he has total undisputed support”, Mr. Roberson told the Voice of America.

If we look at low popular support, I don't think it's all Republicans who feel that way, but there are Democrats. No matter how I feel about the president, I think we're also aware that there are individuals who are concerned about whether he will be the person who will continue the task for another four years”.

President Biden, according to Mr. Roberson, did what he could by leading the country “through a transition phase from the mandate of President [Donald] Trump in the position where we are now”

Like other areas that are many pro-democratics across the country, the Democrats of Prince George District don't all think the same. They can be progressive, moderate, liberal or conservative. In 2016 they joined the votes so that Mr. Biden would win Mr. Trump, denying him a second term.

We all managed to overcome all our differences and work together. But you will also see that some of those individuals may think that leadership needs another candidate”, said Mr. Roberson.

Many Possible Suspects

Acting presidents demanding a second mandate rarely face serious challenges within their party, but the age of President Biden can prevent the Democrats from following the precedent.

Asked to assess the presidential democratic candidates, Republican Wass said Gavin Newsom, the 55-year-old governor of California, could probably like the Democrats of “Prince George” more than Mr. Biden.

“Someone like Gavin Newsom could adapt to the mentality of the Democrats of Prince George”, he said.

In November, Governor Newsom dismissed speculation that he would challenge Mr. Biden.

He not only beat Trump once, but I think he can defeat it again”, Mr. Newsom told “Politco” magazine.

“I hope he runs. I'll support it with enthusiasm”.

If President Beden does not run for re-election or is forced to leave the presidential race due to some health reason, Mr. Newsom is seen as the main candidate, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is 58 years old; Senator Bernie Sanders, 81; and Transport Secretary Pete Buttigigeg, 40-year-old. The three were contenders in the initial democratic elections in 2020.

Mr. Wess remembers the year 1992, when Bill Clinton, then a unnamed governor in Arkansas, decided to decide his candidacy to be appointed by the Democratic Party. Political experts then predicted that New York Governor Mario Cuomo was the one who would defeat Republican George H.W. Bush. Mr. Cuomo's campaign was disbanded before it started, and Bill Clinton was the one who defeated President Bush in the general election.

“Gavin Newsom must run or lose the chance”, said Mr. Woods, adding that for the same reason, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should enter the republican preliminary competition for the 2024 elections.

“Although former President Trump appears to have raised a lot of money and attention now, these people must run”, said Mr. Wass.

Other possible top challengers of Mr. Trump include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and lawmaker from Wyoming, Liz Cheney (who was defeated in the primarys of this year (Zone's daughter is former Vice President Dick Cheney). Also mentioned among the moderate republics are state governor New Hampshire, Chris Sununu and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

The only president elected in American history who lost in the preliminary elections within his party for a second term was Democrat Franklin Pierce in 1856. But concern then was the president's politics, not his age.

President Pierce supported the preservation of slavery while the country was heading towards civil war on the issue.

His party decided to appoint former Secretary of State James Buchan instead of him, who had served as Mr. Pierce's administration ambassador to the United Kingdom and thus was not involved in the difficult dispute over slavery.

Mr. Buchan, who also opposed the end of the Slav, defeated two contenders in the general election by the Wig and Republican parties, despite not campaigning actively, winning every country where Slav was still legal, except Maryland.

Historians generally view presidents Pierce and Buchanan as one of America's worst leaders. / VOA