President Biden announced his re-election campaign on Tuesday, nearly a month after first hinting at his intentions to seek a second presidential term. In a 3-minute campaign video, Biden centers his campaign around his commitment to bipartisanship, equality, and protection of human rights.
The campaign recycles Biden’s first campaign slogan from 2020 as the video stated “We are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are. The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom.”
Footage of Biden and Harris meeting with Americans across the country contrasts scenes from the January 6th insurrection, abortion protests, and images of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. During these clips, Biden explicitly states “MAGA extremists are lining up to take away those freedoms,” referring to book bans as well as reproductive, voting, and same-sex marriage rights.
The 2024 election is largely expected to be a repeat of the 2020 showdown between Biden and Trump, but Florida Governor DeSantis is also a close contender. In either case, FiveThirtyEight polls show a tight-margin between the President and a Republican nominee.
Many attribute Biden’s 2020 win to voter antipathy for Trump and anger over the pandemic. This time around, however, President Biden faces voter concerns over an uncertain economy, hyperpartisanship, reproductive freedoms, and civil rights.
Biden has a noteworthy track record heading into 2024 with popular administration decisions in his first two years in office with the bipartisan gun-safety bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, and infrastructure spending deals. The real challenge will be convincing voters his age is not a concern.
Currently 80-years-old, Biden is the oldest person to serve as president, and if he wins re-election, would be 86 by the time his second term ends. Recent polls indicate about half of Democrats want someone new, but a PBS/NPR poll demonstrates Democrats also believe there is a better chance of holding onto the White House with Biden rather than with someone else.
As of Tuesday, only two others have announced their intentions to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. Marianne Williamson, one of the 19 major Democratic contenders during the 2020 presidential campaign, formally launched her 2024 bid in March. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of President John F Kennedy and son of US Attorney General Bobby Kennedy has stated his intentions to launch a formal campaign in late April. Political pundits, however, predict Biden will not face any serious Democratic contenders.
