While 79-year-old President Biden insists he's running for a second term, most others aren't so sure, leading to speculation about who would be on the Democratic ticket in 2024. One person that's been increasingly discussed among Democratic insiders is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
If Vice President Kamala Harris doesn't get out of the way, however, others have suggested they could be running mates instead of rivals.
A primary campaign between Harris and Buttigieg could pit two key Democratic constituencies against each other: African Americans, particularly African American women, and LGBTQ voters. The impact of that fight would be even worse if it began in 2023 and took over the second half of Biden's current term.
Fortunately, this is a problem that can be easily solved without either politician having to give up anything lasting. Harris and Buttigieg instead could agree that, if Biden does not run again, they would run together in 2024, with Harris the nominee for president and Buttigieg for vice-president. This could put an end to whatever feuding exists between them now, while giving the Democratic Party a very strong ticket in 2024 that would seem like a natural continuation of Biden's first term. (CNN)
The Twitter account for Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs shared the CNN article, writing, "Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg could agree to run together in 2024 if Biden does not run again, giving the Democratic Party a very strong ticket that would seem like a natural continuation of Biden's first term, writes @LincolnMitchell."
Not everyone thought the ticket sounded like a good idea, however.
"Why can't the left just be normal - and grounded in some semblance of reality?" Meghan McCain wondered in response.
What even is this? Why can't the left just be normal - and grounded in some semblance of reality? https://t.co/VPpGwhbfYw
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) November 28, 2021