These Democrats would have been better candidates than Joe Biden

At age 81, Joe Biden is the oldest US President in history. Many people were surprised when Uncle Joe decided to run for a second term in the White House.

It wasn't a popular decision, that's for sure. An Associated Press poll released on February 2023 reveals that only 37% of voters identified as Democrats wanted four more years of Uncle Joe.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that by late January 2024 Donald Trump showed a slight lead over Joe Biden, while everything seems to lead to a Biden Vs. Trump rematch.

Biden isn’t getting any younger, and the results in the midterms haven’t exactly been positive for the Democrats. Many are now wondering: who could have run instead of Biden?

Biden getting the Democratic primary so far seems like a foregone conclusion. One of the few candidates running against him is Marianne Williamson, a self-help author and former spiritual advisor for Oprah Winfrey.

Williamson, who finished fourth when she ran as an independent for the House of Representatives, has been labeled a “new age guru” and an “amusing presence” in US politics. In other words, she's hardly seen as a serious contender for Biden.

Also running is Minnesota Representative and entrepreneur Dean Phillips, which The Wall Street Journal labels as a “long-shot candidate”, though still a more serious option than Williamson.

In a November 2022 opinion piece for The New York Times, Duke University journalism professor Frank Bruni singles out three well-known Democratic politicians who could throw their hat into the ring instead of Biden.

By far, the most popular name Bruni and others have pointed out is Vice President Kamala Harris. A black woman who is two decades younger than Biden could be seen as a breath of fresh air.

However, as Reuters points out, her approval rating has languished ever since she became VP and she has yet to stand out with material accomplishments in her role in the Biden Administration.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is another presidential hopeful. The former mayor of Gary, Indiana, essentially got third place during the 2020 Democratic primaries. In addition, having a gay Millennial running would be a great example of the generational shift in US Politics.

However, as many have pointed out before, Buttigieg could be perceived as too intellectual and inexperienced to get into the White House.

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer was reelected with a comfortable margin. Many prominent Democrats urged Biden to run with her in 2020, which is seen as the perfect mix of clear-thinking leadership and blue-collar appeal.

However, the advantage of being an out-of-Washington politician can also be a handicap. It’s still early to tell if Whitmer has what it takes to make the jump to federal-level politics.

According to the website The Hill, California Governor Gavin Newsom is another state-level politician that has a good chance to get into the White House.

Nonetheless, The Guardian highlights that Newsom has stated that he has ‘zero interest’ in running for President.

Another governor who could have been a presidential candidate is J. B. Pritzker from Illinois. Bruni points out that Pritzker is a billionaire that could fund his own campaign. Coming from Chicagoland, he has experience with urban and rural areas.

However, after previous presidential bids by the likes of Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, having a billionaire candidate might not be the right call for Democrats at the moment.

The Website The Hill also ponders the possibility of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was one of Biden’s main contenders in 2020.

Nonetheless, Warren has denoted being more interested to continue working in Congress rather than focusing on a possible presidential campaign.

Another popular presidential hopeful is Bernie Sanders, from Vermont. He was Hillary Clinton’s main rival during the 2016 Democratic primaries, which was originally seen at the time as a victory lap for the former Secretary of State.

However, as The Hill points out, Sanders is in his 80s and despite his popularity among hardliners and the younger demographic, he shares with Biden the disadvantage of his age.

This is the opposite situation facing New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who shares many viewpoints with Sanders while having the appeal of being from a younger generation and a child of immigrants.

However, with the NY politician, it's her youth and mostly focused on local politics which seems to be a detriment to her White House aspirations.