Former top officials in the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have begun pushing Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2024 if President Joe Biden decides not to seek reelection.
Both Sanders' former campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, and his former senior adviser Mark Longabaugh have privately encouraged Khanna to explore a White House bid if Biden declines to run again, an unidentified source with knowledge of their discussions told Politico.
Longabaugh, noting that he was only speaking about a scenario in which Biden chose not to run again, told the news outlet: "I think Ro would be a very effective candidate. This guy has a message that’s very powerful … Ro is basically saying, Is there a way in which we can reconstruct the economy so that all of the wealth is not just being generated on the East Coast, West Coast, or out of my congressional district [San Francisco Bay Area]?"
Weaver added, "I think he would have tremendous appeal among people who supported Bernie. I do, absolutely, 100%. He has a thoughtful take on the economy, which I think a lot of working-class people that Democrats have had difficulty reaching would hear."
Khanna told Politico that he has no intention of running for the White House in the next presidential election, saying that he supports Biden "strongly" and expects him to run.
"I'm not running in 2024," the congressman said. "I fully expect the president to run and intend to support him strongly. If for some reason he didn't, that would be very disappointing, but there are a number of other candidates who I think I could get behind who would make sure that the Democrats beat [former President] Donald Trump."
He also said that "after the ’24 cycle will be a time where America will start to look to the future."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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