{"id":30010,"date":"2023-03-06T06:28:40","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T06:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/?p=30010"},"modified":"2026-07-10T02:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T02:43:51","slug":"joe-biden-faces-resistance-within-his-party-to-running-for-a-second-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/2023\/03\/06\/joe-biden-faces-resistance-within-his-party-to-running-for-a-second-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Biden faces resistance within his party to running for a second term"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Steve Shurtleff was at Joe Biden\u2019s<\/strong> side in 2019 when he filed papers in the New Hampshire State House to run for president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He repeatedly trekked across the state with Biden to court primary voters. And when Biden ultimately won the presidency, it was Shurtleff, then the Democratic state House speaker, who proudly sealed the envelope that carried New Hampshire\u2019s<\/strong> four electoral votes \u2014 including his own name \u2014 to the U.S. Senate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on the eve of a new election season, Shurtleff, like a majority of Democrats across the country, feels that one term is enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my heart of hearts, no,\u201d Shurtleff said when asked if he wants Biden to run again. \u201cI think a lot of people just don\u2019t want to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats across New Hampshire are upset with the Democratic president for trying to end the state\u2019s status as home to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. But their concerns about Biden run much deeper, in line with a majority of Democratic voters nationwide, who question the 80-year-old president\u2019s plans to soon launch his reelection campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just 37% of Democrats nationwide want the president to seek a second term, according to a\u00a0poll released last month<\/strong>\u00a0by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That was down from 52% in the weeks before last year\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many worry about Biden\u2019s age. Others, like Shurtleff, are upset about the administration\u2019s messy withdrawal from Afghanistan<\/strong>. And the party\u2019s progressive wing has never been enthusiastic about Biden, who is perceived as a moderate, despite his lengthy list of achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House cast Biden\u2019s perceived weakness within his own party as an exaggerated narrative that he has repeatedly proven wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re aware pundits\u2019 attitude toward President Biden is unchanged from before he earned the nomination faster than anyone since 2004, won the most votes in American history, built the strongest legislative record in generations and led the best midterm outcome for a new Democratic president in 60 years,\u201d Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said. \u201cBased on comparing the accuracy of our predictions versus theirs, we are happy for this dynamic to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, there\u2019s a risk of a disconnect between rank-and-file Democrats and the party\u2019s establishment. While voters are signaling unease about the prospect of another Biden campaign, Democratic governors, senators and congressional representatives are virtually unanimous in supporting Biden\u2019s reelection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One exception may be New Hampshire, a small swing state whose electoral votes could be critical in a tight general election. The state has challenged Biden before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voters here served Biden an embarrassing fifth-place finish in the 2020 Democratic primary. New Hampshire polls were still open when he decamped to South Carolina, where his presidential ambitions were revived by a decisive win. That state is now Biden\u2019s pick to lead the 2024 presidential primary calendar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviews with angry New Hampshire Democrats across state government and local Democratic committees suggest there is some appetite for a serious primary challenger in 2024. But top-tier prospects don\u2019t seem to be interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, only Democratic activist and author Marianne Williamson has entered the 2024 primary field<\/strong>. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late New York senator and known for railing against vaccines<\/strong>, met with New Hampshire voters on Friday. He\u2019s also leaning toward a bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/strong>, Biden\u2019s fiercest primary challenger in 2020, has vowed to back the president in 2024. So has Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker<\/strong>, whose appearance at last year\u2019s New Hampshire\u2019s Democratic convention still comes up in conversation. California Rep. Ro Khanna<\/strong>, a progressive favorite, has also said he would not challenge Biden, although he has been a vocal advocate for New Hampshire\u2019s place atop the primary calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview, Khanna said it was \u201cpolitical malpractice\u201d for the Democratic National Committee, under Biden\u2019s direction, to threaten New Hampshire\u2019s status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Hampshire is a state where retail politics still matter and where voters have an independence that can\u2019t be controlled by the party establishment in DC,\u201d Khanna said. The primary shakeup \u201ccould cost us four electoral votes and hurt our chances to win in the 2024 election.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Biden\u2019s allies privately believe the primary dispute will be long forgotten by the time voters cast ballots in November 2024, especially with former President Donald Trump or one of his Republican acolytes on the ballot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden supporters also note that some of the nation\u2019s most popular two-term presidents confronted opposition from within their own parties ahead of their reelection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Ronald Reagan faced grumbling from dissatisfied Republicans leading up to the 1984 contest, which turned out to be the most lopsided general election victory in U.S. history. Democrats openly encouraged a primary challenge against President Bill Clinton after the disastrous 1994 midterms. He went on to a commanding reelection win in 1996. And President Barack Obama\u2019s<\/strong>campaign worried about losing support from his political base \u2014 especially Black voters \u2014 before he cruised to victory in 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a lot of work to do, but the fundamentals were there,\u201d said Stephanie Cutter, who helped managed Obama\u2019s 2012 reelection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obama\u2019s outlook changed as his team worked to remind voters what they liked best about him compared to a Republican opponent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElections are about two people,\u201d Cutter said. \u201cOnce Republicans start hitting the campaign trail and that craziness begins, the contrast between that crazy train and Joe Biden\u2019s steady leadership and even hand fixing some of the nation\u2019s biggest problems become clear as day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden has presided over significant accomplishments that could boost a reelection campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He signed into law a sweeping pandemic relief bill, a massive infrastructure package, the first new federal gun safety law in decades and a comprehensive health and environmental plan that allowed Medicare to lower prescription drug prices and dedicated billions of dollars to combating climate change. Job growth and unemployment have also improved during his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he is grappling with acute challenges related to inflation, illegal immigration, crime and foreign affairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper<\/strong>, a Democrat, attributed Biden\u2019s political challenges to Democratic leaders who haven\u2019t done enough to promote his accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe real disconnect right now is communication,\u201d Cooper said in an interview. \u201cPresident Biden has accomplished in two years what many presidents would only hope to do in eight. His success has meant real wins for working families. People are going to begin to see real improvement in their lives. It\u2019s our job to make sure that they know it was President Biden who got it done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDemocrats came together once before in 2020 to ask him to do a job, and he accomplished it \u2014 he beat President Trump,\u201d Cooper added. \u201cAnd now he\u2019s gonna do it again.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite such optimism, Democrats across New Hampshire believe it will be difficult for Biden to match his 2020 victory of 7 percentage points in the state in 2024. Former Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, declined to say whether he wanted Biden to seek reelection when asked directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s push to change the primary calendar, Lynch said, has created such anti-Biden furor that it puts New Hampshire\u2019s four electoral votes at risk in the 2024 general election. He was quick to note that four electoral votes would have tipped the 2000 presidential election in Al Gore\u2019s favor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt could cost Democrats the presidency,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cRepublicans won\u2019t let voters forget. They\u2019ll hammer the Democrats on this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, New Hampshire\u2019s current governor, Republican Chris Sununu<\/strong>, called the primary calendar shift \u201ca horrible miscalculation\u201d for Biden that exposes him to a legitimate primary challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s made it harder to win in November \u201824 \u2014 if he\u2019s the nominee,\u201d Sununu said in an interview. \u201cBut because of what he did here, he very well may not be the nominee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Democratic concerns were easy to see inside the monthly meeting of Laconia Democrats on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee late last week, where just a half-dozen people gathered to discuss party business. Most of the participants, especially older ones, said they favored Biden\u2019s reelection, even if they weren\u2019t passionate about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lois Kessin, a 73-year-old Laconia resident, has been volunteering for Biden in New Hampshire since Obama first tapped him as his running mate. She has a picture of herself and Biden hanging in her hallway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am very happy with Joe Biden,\u201d she said, acknowledging that some Democrats are worried about his age \u2014 a concern she said was offensive. \u201cPerhaps there\u2019s somebody as brilliant as he and as compassionate and as knowledgeable out there. But until that person shows up, I\u2019m happy with Joe Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Laconia committee chairman, 43-year-old Eric Hoffman, was less enthusiastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe party kind of lined up because he was the nominee, but he obviously wasn\u2019t our first four choices,\u201d Hoffman said, referring to Biden\u2019s finish in the 2020 primary. \u201cPeople would prefer to see a change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But like many Democrats, he said he would vote for Biden in the 2024 general election to ensure Republicans don\u2019t retake the White House. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just don\u2019t expect him to be excited about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t a big fan of his, but I\u2019ve been pretty impressed with his abilities and the things he\u2019s gotten accomplished,\u201d\u00a0Hoffman said.\u00a0\u201cSo, it\u2019s not the worst thing in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

source:AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Steve Shurtleff was at Joe Biden\u2019s side in 2019 when he filed papers in the New Hampshire State House to run for president.  He repeatedly trekked across the state with Biden to court primary voters. And when Biden ultimately won the presidency, it was Shurtleff, then the Democratic state House speaker, who proudly sealed the envelope that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":30011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_source_name":"","_post_source_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[7603,4342,9951,8473,10632,160,3115,5178,11941,3195,6573,10153,2848,10387,7489,3862,12679,10484,8590,10507,10391,5799,913,2825,6576,12785,9309,11273,911,6738,2264,6543,9807,1863,12634,10769,10321,5728,988,6094,8601,6546,8995,11493,2471,10342,3874,9974,11743,8126,9833,990,7964,3326,6025,11973,12727,5485,5424,7574,3805,11377,1776,10390,6944,6575,5807,11388,11304,8501,6082,10838,9277,9030,9616,7746,9262,6348,10331,10885,6571,2982,3954,10415,36,594],"class_list":["post-30010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-activist","tag-afghanistan","tag-age","tag-al-gore","tag-attitude","tag-barack-obama","tag-bernie-sanders","tag-biden","tag-bill","tag-bill-clinton","tag-black","tag-black-voters","tag-california","tag-campaign","tag-chairman","tag-climate-change","tag-clinton","tag-convention","tag-conversation","tag-court","tag-declined","tag-democrat","tag-democratic","tag-democratic-party","tag-democrats","tag-dispute","tag-dollars","tag-drug","tag-election","tag-families","tag-government","tag-growth","tag-gun","tag-hammer","tag-health","tag-house-speaker","tag-illegal","tag-illegal-immigration","tag-illinois","tag-immigration","tag-independence","tag-inflation","tag-infrastructure","tag-interview","tag-joe-biden","tag-law","tag-lead","tag-leadership","tag-majority","tag-match","tag-meeting","tag-new-york","tag-north","tag-north-carolina","tag-obama","tag-one","tag-package","tag-pandemic","tag-politics","tag-presidency","tag-president","tag-presidential","tag-presidential-election","tag-prices","tag-republican","tag-republicans","tag-risk","tag-roy-cooper","tag-running-mate","tag-senate","tag-senator","tag-south-carolina","tag-speaker","tag-success","tag-train","tag-unemployment","tag-united-states","tag-us","tag-vermont","tag-victory","tag-white","tag-white-house","tag-will","tag-work","tag-world","tag-who"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52226,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30010\/revisions\/52226"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}