With only four months between now and the 2024 presidential election, there is an increasing call for Joe Biden to step aside and make way for a new candidate. Many within the Democratic party have united in this dictum including the growing and well-supported LGBTQ+ community within Congress.
Representative Angie Craig (Democrat, Minnesota) has publicly called on Biden to step aside, stating, “I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump.” Craig, one of several out members of Congress, is not the first, nor the latest Democrat to openly question Biden’s chances of winning reelection. Outside of Congress’ LGBTQ+ community, Senator Peter Welch (Democrat, Vermont) implores the President to “put us first, as he has done before.”
President Biden, in response to the calls for him to back out of the race, has firmly and repeatedly stated that he intends to continue his campaign. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, he says, “I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” which may be the case, but may not be enough to keep him in the White House.
Unless Biden agrees to step aside, the Democratic Party is extremely limited in its options. Putting forth another candidate to compete with Biden would almost certainly result in neither candidate securing enough votes to win the election, and Donald Trump returning to the White House.
Meanwhile, the Republican party and the majority of right-leaning factions have endorsed Trump for a return to power. In the midst of disunity among Democrats and the left, Trump stands poised to capitalize come November. If public support for Biden turns around, or another candidate arises, it may be enough to keep Trump out of the White House, but that has yet to be seen.
