Joe Biden is facing a perceived lack of enthusiasm for his 2024 presidential campaign. Democratic activists see him as their best chance to stop Republicans from winning, but many do not view him as an energizing force for the party base. Activists hope that the Biden administration can craft a clear campaign message that showcases his achievements as president and serves as a call for the battles ahead in the fight for the soul of America. However, the hard truth is that many grassroots organizers are suffering from fatigue and have stepped back from political engagement.
Many believe Biden should rely on new, younger, and more diverse elected officials, such as Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), and Tennessee state Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, to rally progressive constituencies. Activists note that early investment in and engagement with community organizers can help overcome early fatigue. Still, some activists on the left are looking past Biden, who, if inaugurated, will be 82 years old, and are inspired by Julie Chávez RodrÃguez, a senior White House adviser and granddaughter of labor leader and Chicano icon Cesar Chavez. However, not everyone believes that her appointment alone is enough to bring Latino voters to vote for Biden.
Many Hispanic voters do not believe their lives have improved during the Biden administration, and there are still wage gaps between Latinos and non-Hispanic men. Additionally, immigration remains a critical issue for many voters, and Biden’s campaign video relaunch did not address it. López-Zuniga, a political strategist at the progressive group Mijente, says there is little energy for what a potential Biden campaign in 2024 would look like. In a recent NBC News poll, 70% of (51% among Democrats) of Americans surveyed believed Biden should not run for re-election for reasons largely due to his age.
While these obstacles exist, many Democratic strategists and activists give the Biden administration high marks for stabilizing the economy after the pandemic shutdowns, passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill and nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court as the first Black woman. Activists note that if the Biden campaign crafts a coherent message, showcases his achievements, and seeks early engagement with community organizers and diverse elected officials to energize and rally the Democratic base, the campaign’s early fatigue can be overcome.
