President Joe Biden has formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024. He is asking voters to give him more time to “finish this job” and to set aside concerns about his age. Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term. He is betting that his first-term legislative achievements and experience will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces no serious Democratic rivals but is set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency.
The announcement comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden declared his run for the White House in 2019. He promised to heal the “soul of the nation” amid Donald Trump’s turbulent presidency. Biden said that America is still in a battle for its soul and that the question facing the nation is whether it will have more or less freedom and rights.
While most modern presidents have sought reelection, this has not always been the case for Biden. Some Democratic voters have indicated they would prefer he not run, partly because of his age. Biden has called these concerns “totally legitimate” but did not address them head-on in his launch video. However, few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats performed well in last year’s midterm elections.
[Information from AP news]
