Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, reportedly told Democrats to rally behind her in the event that President Joe Biden chooses not to seek reelection in 2024.
According to a Tuesday report from Politico, the topic of Biden not seeking a second term has been “consuming” some of the “would-be successors,” including Harris. Though, Emhoff’s comments have reportedly caused “eye-rolling in the West Wing,” as Democrat officials are “skeptical about her [Harris’] viability in 2024.”
“The next question we’ll get after saying we don’t want Biden is: ‘Do you want Kamala?’” a House Democrat, who was unnamed in the article, said.
Other politicians named in the article that could possibly run in 2024 included Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
James Carville, a Democratic strategist, said “we got to find somebody under 75 who can run this country.” President Biden will turn 80 this month.
This time last year, ahead of Biden’s birthday, former South Carolina governor and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview that politicians who are of advanced age should undergo a “cognitive test.”
“Right now, let’s face it. We’ve got a lot of people in leadership positions that are old. And that’s not being disrespectful. That’s a fact,” Haley continued. “When it comes to that, this shouldn’t be partisan. We should seriously be looking at the ages of the people that are running our country and understand if that’s what we want.”
In August, a group of ABC panelists agreed that Harris is not “heir apparent” if Biden does not seek reelection, which Townhall covered.
“You talk to Democrats privately, key Democrats on Capitol Hill, leaders in the party, and there is just trepidation about this. There is a sense among many of them that he shouldn’t run. And also, a sense that if he doesn’t run, that the primary is wide open and it’s not just Kamala Harris’ to take,” ABC’s Jonathan Karl said.