Three of the most influential Democratic US governors are talking to potential donors and staffers about a 2024 presidential bid, according to one report — but they will only run if President Joe Biden does not seek re-election.
Reuters reported on Friday that the leaders of California, Illinois and New Jersey are all eyeing the White House.
And while interest in California’s Gavin Newsom has long been rumored, the addition of JB Pritzker from Illinois and Phil Murphy from New Jersey was even more of a surprise.
Donald Trump on Thursday night, but announcing he was running, said at a rally in Iowa, “In order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, I will probably do it again.” Very, very, very, probably.
Trump is expected to announce a third campaign for the White House shortly after the midterm elections. New York times Reported on Friday – probably as soon as the week of November 14th.
Trump may face a challenge from Florida Gov. Ron DeAntis.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, is widely believed to have presidential ambitions
JB Pritzker (left), the governor of Illinois, and Phil Murphy of New Jersey (right) are also considering running for president.
Newsom, 55, was mayor of San Francisco before becoming governor of California in 2019, and is currently seeking a second term — a race he is expected to win handily.
On Saturday, he was adamant about his lack of interest in the White House.
“It’s not my ambition,” he told CBS News. This is not the direction I am inclined to. It’s not the moment.
When pressed on whether he could say he would never run for president, Newsom said, “Yeah, I have no interest.”
Pritzker, the 57-year-old member of the billionaire Hyatt hotel-owning family who has always been one of America’s wealthiest, was elected governor of Illinois at the same time Newsom took over California.
A businessman, he entered politics as the national co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign and used it as a springboard for his election as governor.
This summer he gave speeches in New Hampshire and Florida, in what many saw as an attempt to test the waters.
Still, Illinois voters aren’t enthusiastic about a Pritzker presidency: Two-thirds of them said he shouldn’t run, while 21 percent said they weren’t sure.
Only 13 percent have embraced the idea that Pritzker is trying to become the second Illinoisan in the past four presidential elections to sit in the Oval Office, according to WBEZ/Sun Times vote.
Murphy, 65, a millionaire financier who spent 23 years at Goldman Sachs, was elected in January 2018.
He was Barack Obama’s ambassador to Germany before he became governor.
In response to a question in January, Murphy said NJ.com: ‘I don’t run.’ I don’t run. Jesus, Lord, help me.
When asked specifically if he would jump into the Democratic primary if Biden didn’t, Murphy was less adamant.
“Listen, based on everything I hear, he’s running again,” the governor said of Biden. So it’s a theoretical question. I’m not being disrespectful to you, but I don’t think that will happen.
Biden, 79, continues to insist he will seek a second term: On November 20, he will become the first commanding general of US forces at 80.
President Joe Biden gave an optimistic assessment of his party’s chances in the midterm elections on Friday
If he were to win again, Biden, who already has the distinction of being the oldest elected president, would be 82 when he is sworn in for the second time and 86 on the day his successor is inaugurated.
Before Biden, Ronald Reagan was the oldest elected president at age 69.
Biden himself has insisted he intends to run for a second term, and last month Politico reported that discussions would begin in earnest after the midterm elections, with First Lady Jill Biden playing a key role.
The site said a campaign would be launched in early 2023.
Reuters reported on Friday that if Biden chooses not to run, Vice President Kamala Harris would be the preferred candidate among his Democratic aides.
Until now Los Angeles Timeswhich tracks California-born Harris’s approval ratings, reports that the most recent polls, from Oct. 3, show her as significantly less popular than any of her four predecessors, at the same point in terms of their terms.
Mike Pence, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore were all higher rated than Harris.
The latest polls show that 39 percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of Harris, while 53 percent have an unfavorable opinion.
On Friday, the Rose Institute, a California-based polling firm, reported that 42 percent of registered Democrats want Biden to run again. Pete Buttigieg, the transport secretary, is tied with Harris for second choice, with them being selected at 14 per cent.
Newsom was fifth, behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Pritzker and Murphy are not mentioned.
Trump was the favorite of registered Republicans, followed by DeSantis, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
