AP Photo/Susan Walsh
- Talk of an primary challenge to President Biden has all by evaporated in recent weeks, per WaPo.
- Earlier this year, some in the party felt despondent about the Democratic agenda in Congress.
- Since then, Biden has had a string of legislative victories, from climate change to health care.
President Joe Biden's improved political fortunes appear to be drowning out talk of an intraparty primary challenge in 2024, according to The Washington Post.
In recent months, Biden has signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, a $ 52 billion chips-funding bill, and bipartisan gun control legislation, breaking part of the filibuster logjam that in recent years has become increasingly common in the Senate.
Fuel prices, which surged to over $ 5 a gallon earlier this summer, are averaging around $ 3.79 nationally as of September 4, per AAA.
And a recent Wall Street Journal poll showed Biden's approval rating at 45%, a welcome sign for the White House, as the president's numbers had lagged in the high 30s and low 40s for nearly a year.
But the diminished chatter surrounding a 2024 primary challenge — at least for now — allows the White House to focus on the midterms as the president reportedly plans to launch his reelection bid after the contests.
Former President Donald Trump, who has teased a run since he left the White House, is also planning to make his 2024 plans known in the coming months. And with Trump reportedly playing a critical role in campaigning for Republicans this fall, he will continue to provide a stark contrast to the Biden White House.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said months ago that the party needed to stick together and stop dividing itself over the minutiae of congressional legislation and instead sell what Biden has signed into law.
Some Democrats, frustrated by what they saw as inaction regarding the president's agenda, floated new potential standard bearers, which included Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris.
But Khanna, a progressive who enjoys a strong relationship with the Biden White House, had long dismissed such talk.
"When I was out there saying I support the president's reelection six months ago, I was getting criticized, and now many other people are saying that. They're recognizing we need to stop the internal firing squad and start bragging about what we've done," he told The Post. "Most people understand the stakes of 2024 and understand that weakening Joe Biden is just strengthening Donald Trump."
"This is not the time for political opportunism of trying to do clever ploys and floating your name. This is the time for us to rally around the president's reelection," he added.
While there have been reports of some lingering concerns about Biden's age, as he will turn 82 years old shortly after Election Day 2024, he remains committed to running for reelection.
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