As November and the upcoming midterm elections draw closer, the focus is quickly becoming on what will and could happen next, especially since the fate of the midterms already seems to be a complete turnover of majority control in both legislative houses. And that means everyone’s eyes are now on 2024 and its presidential election.
But what polling is showing thus far is that the nation wants a whole new crowd of candidates coming into this election season. And that goes for both major parties.
With current (and failing) Democratic President Joe Biden in office, the nation has realized that while he’s only served one term thus far, he is definitely not the best option to continue leading our country. And that comes from both the Democratic and Republican sides. Of course, that doesn’t mean Biden won’t try to run again.
In any case, the question is who should assume the Oval Office and who should or at least who will run for office.
Naturally, as he also served only one term and is eligible for another, the assumption is that former President Donald Trump will run again. But again, the nation isn’t so sure this is the right choice either. According to the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, only about 37% of those asked said Trump should run again.
But, again, just because early polling shows that to be an unwise decision for him doesn’t mean he won’t do it. On the contrary, according to more than a few of his allies, he’s fully expected to announce a run for office shortly after the midterm elections in November.
And his decision to run or not run will likely determine whether a number of other GOP candidates will also run. But again, polling shows that just about anyone who had tried to run before isn’t being given very good odds even if they almost won.
On the Democratic side, that means names like Hillary Clinton, the seemingly forever candidate, and socialist Bernie Sanders.
According to Rasmussen, 69 percent said Hillary shouldn’t run, while only 20 percent said yes. This includes some 53 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of liberals.
Similarly, 67 percent of all those asked said no to a Bernie Sanders run, with only 21 percent saying yes. Again, this includes a no vote from about 59 percent of Democrats.
For the Republican side, the chances of former candidates winning aren’t much better.
Take GOP Utah Senator Mitt Romney, for example. According to the same poll, 66 percent of America would vote no to him, while only 19 would say yes. This includes some 71 percent of Republicans saying no.
According to the poll, even the seemingly popular Texas Senator Ted Cruz isn’t given much favor. Sixty-three percent said no to him running, while only 20 percent said yes. Forty-eight percent of Republicans said no.
This means that come 2024, the list of those running or at least given much of any favoritism will be new faces in the presidential race. These are expected to include faces like Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, and even some former Trump aides. Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are all expected to throw their names in the ring for the title of Commander in Chief.
Of course, as I mentioned before, some of those names are likely to change, depending on whether Trump himself runs again. A few, such as Pompeo, may choose to sit out should Trump try again. However, it is assumed that those like Pence will decide to run anyway.
For Democrats, the possible 2024 field seems a little bit less congested.
Depending on another Biden run, which of course, he will lose, chances are his vice president, Kamala Harris, will run. However, the chances of her winning aren’t all that great either, even if she somehow manages to claim her party’s nomination.
The only other real name likely to hit the field is Democratic socialist and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A few other senator names have been floated about. Still, none with enough seriousness or name cred to assume they’d make any sort of real effort, especially against GOP challenges like DeSantis or Pence.
But it’s still early. Who knows what or who we’ll see in the coming months.
