Jerry Brown cautions Biden 2024 is not a ‘slam dunk’
Ryan King
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A prominent California Democrat doesn’t think that President Joe Biden will be a shoo-in for the 2024 election.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) said Biden was the most formidable Democratic presidential contender but cautioned that challengers to Biden could run a tight race.
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“Well, you know, it depends on what the alternatives are,” Brown told Politico. “I’d say this it’s not a slam dunk any way you look at it.”
“There’s no doubt Biden is the strongest,” Brown insisted, referring to the 2024 field.
Biden is widely considered the Democratic front-runner. Top Democrats have left a clear field for him, with some lower-tier challengers such as bestselling spiritual author Marianne Williamson and recently anti-vaxxer and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mounting a challenge against him.
The president has not yet declared his reelection bid, with rumors circulating that an announcement could come as late as the fall. Brown, 84, mused that he could handle the duties of commander in chief but lamented that age might not bode well for him politically.
“I can handle the job but I don’t think the politics can handle my age,” he continued. “We’re not like the old Soviet Union, where they had all those men in the Politburo, people want some fresher faces.”
Brown dipped his toes in presidential races unsuccessfully in 1976, 1980, and 1992. Biden, who similarly lost multiple presidential races in the past, is the oldest president at 80 and would be 82 at the start of a hypothetical second term in office and 86 by the end of it.
Given whispers of consternation about Biden’s age, there has been heightened scrutiny of his partner, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I don’t think vice presidents are ever ready,” Brown said, before noting he had a “good relationship” with the fellow Californian. “People thought John Kennedy was kind of a lightweight but he rose to the occasion.”
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Biden has consistently said that he intends to seek reelection. Meanwhile, Republicans are poised for an all-out primary brawl over who will be their standard bearer to face him.
Brown governed the Golden State for roughly 16 years.