ATLANTA – Thanks in part to a better than expected performance by the Democrats in the midterm elections, President Biden is facing fewer questions about his political future as he begins to build up towards a likely 2024 re-election campaign launch.
As behind the scenes early moves by Biden political aides continue, the president is taking a 2022 victory lap with stops in key battleground states across the country.
While Biden has yet to make any formal declarations, he has repeatedly said he intends to seek a second term in the White House.
“I have not made that formal decision, but it’s my intention. My intention to run again. And we have time to make that decision,” the president said in October in an interview on MSNBC.
BIDEN SAYS 2024 DECISION LIKELY TO COME ‘EARLY NEXT YEAR’
President Biden smiles during a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. Biden spoke following a midterm election in which Democrats fared better than expected.
(Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Additionally, in a news conference the day after the November election, the president reiterated his decision would likely come “early next year.”
“I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re going to have discussions about it,” he said. “I hope Jill and I get a little time to sneak away for a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and my guess is it will be early next year when we make that judgment.”
BIDEN SAYS HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY 2024 FAMILY DISCUSSIONS OVER THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
While support among Democrats for the president to run for re-election in 2024 has risen in recent weeks through public opinion polling, the sentiment is far from universal.
Fox News spoke with over a dozen Democrats as they arrived on Thursday at a rally for Sen. Raphael Warnock headlined by former President Obama in Atlanta with just five days to go until the Senate runoff election in the key southeastern battleground state.
A large crowd of Democratic activists and supporters gathers in Atlanta on Dec. 1, 2022 for a rally for Sen. Raphael Warnock headlined by former President Barack Obama, five days ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff election.
(Fox News)
While plenty of people arriving at the event said they would like to see Biden run for re-election, there were also calls for a fresh face to replace the now 80-year-old president as the party’s standard-bearer in 2024.
“I think it’s time for someone new,”said Amanda, who lives in Atlanta. “I think he’s doing a great job, but I think there’s someone out there who can speak for everyone and not just like a certain group of Democrats.”
Arlene and Herbert, who drove into Atlanta from nearby Gwinnett County, were not on the same page.
“He’s kind of getting up there in age, but it still seems like he’s with it for somebody his age. I would like to see somebody younger, but if he can do it, let him run,” Arlene said.
However, Herbert quickly offered that “if he runs I’ll vote for him.”
Aiden, a college student at Emory University in Atlanta, said that “maybe having an 82-year-old in office may not be the best idea. We’ll see what happens.”
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He added that “as long as there’s a Democrat in the office, I’ll be OK.”
Shelena, who lives in nearby Decatur, Georgia has not made up her mind.
“I haven’t quite made my decision on that. We still have some time on that,” she said. “We’ve still got two more years to go.”
Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report
Paul Steinhauser
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