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Despite a surprisingly positive midterm performance, questions remain as to whether Joe Biden will still be the Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
Biden is expected to confirm that he will run for president again sometime in early 2023, dismissing criticism that the president—who turned 80 in November—is too old to be in the White House for a second term.
Biden has faced dismal approval ratings over the past 12 months, in addition to a number of polls suggesting a majority of Americans do not want him to run again.
All this has raised the prospect of another Democrat stepping up and challenging Biden in a Democratic primary for the 2024 candidacy.
Serious presidential primaries are becoming increasingly rare, with the last one occurring three decades ago when Pat Buchanan challenged George H.W. Bush ahead of the 1992 election. Bush went on to defeat Buchanan, as has every other incumbent who has faced a primary challenger within their own party.
However, every president who has faced a primary challenge—including Jimmy Carter in 1980 and Gerald Ford in 1976—went on to lose the subsequent general election.
Whether the Democrats will want to risk a potential implosion by challenging Biden ahead of 2024 or show a sign of unity despite the president's age and poor approval ratings, remains to be seen.
With this in mind, Newsweek has compiled who may be the strongest contenders to put forward a primary challenge for the presidential nomination.
Kamala Harris
Should Biden be declared no longer fit to stand for office—such as for health reasons—it will be his vice president who takes up the reigns at the White House.
When Harris was announced as Biden's running mate in 2020, many people believe it was a sign that Biden was only planning on running one term before paving the way for Harris to become the first Black, Asian, and female president of the U.S.
Harris, who ran in the 2020 Democratic primary, has given no indication that she will attempt a mutiny to replace Biden in the White House. One thing that may be holding her back is that she often has lower approval ratings than Biden.
In November, Politico reported that Democratic lawmakers were unconvinced that Harris would be suitable for the role beyond the historical significance.
"The next question we'll get after saying 'we don't want Biden' is: 'Do you want Kamala?'" one House Democrat said.
Pete Buttigieg
The former South Bend mayor gained national attention during his 2020 presidential run, including winning the Iowa caucuses, and is widely seen as a potential future candidate.
The transportation secretary's popularity has taken a knock in recent days due to the ongoing crisis at Southwest Airlines, but his reputation has been largely intact during his two years in the Biden administration.
In September, he answered "who knows" when asked during a speaking event at Vox Media's Code Conference whether he is considering running for office again.
"You run for an office because you notice something about the office, and something about yourself, and something about the moment that adds up," Buttigieg said.
"And that process has been one I have used to decide to run for office several times, and it's a process I've used to decide to not run for office several times. So who knows what the future is going to call me."
Jared Polis
The already popular Colorado governor is coming off the back of a hugely successful re-election bid, winning the midterm with 58 percent of the vote.
His popularity has even seen conservatives tout his potential as a future Democratic presidential candidate, with Conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt tweeting that a Democratic ticket in 2024 with Polis and Pennsylvania's new governor-elect, Josh Shapiro, would be a "nightmare" for the GOP.
However, Polis himself has not given any suggestion he intends to challenge Biden in the upcoming election, although he has not ruled out anything in the future.
When asked by Axios about the prospects of a White House run in November, Polis replied: "I'm focused 100 percent on serving the people of Colorado."
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor is another democrat whose stock increased in the wake of the midterms, beating the Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Tudor Dixon by nearly 11 percent.
Whitmer's reputation in the Democratic party has been rising in recent years, and she was also a finalist to be Biden's running mate in 2020.
However, Whitmer recently dampened any suggestions she will leave her position as governor early to run for president any time soon.
"I can tell you, period, I am not running for anything in the next two or four years," she told FOX 2 Detroit.
Gavin Newsom
The California governor is another person strongly touted to be a potential future Democratic presidential candidate.
However, Newsom all but confirmed in November that he won't challenge Biden, or put his name forward in 2024 even if the president chooses not to.
"The answer is no," Newsom told Politico, adding he would support Biden if he does run again.
"He not only beat Trump once, I think he can beat him again," Newsom said. "I hope he runs, I'll enthusiastically support him."
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more