LOOKING TOWARDS 2024
Are our two main political parties getting a make over?
The 2022 midterm election results were a bit unexpected with no red wave hitting the polls. Instead, there was a more balanced approach by the electorate with a very tight race overall; the Democrats kept control of the Senate but the Republicans took control of the House. The rhetoric of the Democratic Party centered around abortion rights with the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, however, there was little mention of most voters’ main current issue, inflation. An issue the Republican Party took advantage of as the party not in power, making inflation the focus of most campaigns around the nation, although there was no action plan for repairing the state of the economy once nominated. There was also a focus on crime and law enforcement—on both sides, although the issue was more prevalent among Republicans—which was mostly a reaction to increasing crime rates in the past few years and of the defunding the police rhetoric.
Now that the midterm elections are over, there is now an outlook toward the 2024 Presidential election. It is hard to see President Biden stepping aside as the main democratic candidate since there are no strong contenders at the moment. There are some honorable mentions to keep an eye out for, however unlikely. Although Vice President Kamala Harris has arguably poor approval ratings, it is worth mentioning that she is technically qualified. As Biden’s running mate, Harris made history as the first Black and Asian woman vice president. U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, would be a young change; as a married gay man with two children, he was a formidable opponent in 2020 with amassing the most delegates in Iowa. Gretchen Whitmer Governor of Michigan is also an honorable mention, as she was proposed by Democrats as a potential running mate for Biden in 2020; she recently won re-election by a large margin. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren may have to potential to win over moderates and progressives if they decided to run for the 2024 presidential election.
Former President Donald Trump has announced his decision to run for president in the 2024 election at his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this week. Even though the Republican Party is still largely an amalgamation of the Trump rhetoric, these midterm elections showed that he may be losing steam. One formidable opponent is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; having a large following among conservatives nationwide with his policy over COVID-19 restrictions, immigration, race, and LGBTQ rights. Former Vice President Mike Pence may also be a good republican candidate; Pence was mostly quiet with Trump’s antics up until the riot on the Capitol, where he has now been doing a balancing act to navigate between the Trump base and the broader republican base. It has been rumored that Texas Governor Greg Abbott might run for president in 2024, as he his policies are slowly more conservative, such as his abortion ban (one of the most restrictive in the nation). U.S. Representative Liz Cheney—although this seems more unlikely now after the midterm election—and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley—also unlikely considering she has criticized Trump—are prominent republican figures that are potential 2024 presidential candidates.
A trademark of leadership in Washington is being old and established; President Joe Biden turned 80 today (happy birthday), former President Donald Trump is 76, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82 years old, and Chuck Schumer is 69 years old. All are above retirement age with a need for a generational shift. I think one key direction for the Democratic Party moving forward is that it can begin being more representative of the younger generation; with generally is more diverse, with the potential of providing a more progressive way of policymaking that breaks from the traditional. The Republican Party has to think about how they will deal with the Trump disenchantment of the base; with the results of the 2022 midterms, will the Republican Party continue to rally behind Trump or move away from some of his more extremist rhetoric? Our two major political parties are going through an identity crisis at the moment, which is a crucial moment for redirection.
Bruni, Frank. 10 November, 2022. Biden Is No Sure Thing for 2024. What About Buttigieg? Harris? Even Whitmer? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/opinion/biden-democrat-2024.html
Jackson, Katharine. 15 November, 2022. Factbox: Which Republicans could run for president in 2024? https://www.reuters.com/world/us/who-could-run-2024-us-presidential-election-2022-11-10/