Two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton may campaign for president in 2024 if President Joe Biden decides not to run, CNN’s editor-at-large Chris Cillizza wrote on Tuesday.
Citing Friday’s Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, Cillizza claimed that there were “whispers” that Clinton would make a third attempt to secure the Democrat nomination, adding that another White House run “would be something that would be hard for Clinton to not at least look at” if Biden were to decline to run again.
“As someone who has fought for women’s rights throughout her career as first lady, US senator and secretary of state, might the Supreme Court’s ruling have changed her calculus somewhat as she looks to her own future?” Cillizza asked.
“Changed circumstances can lead to changed minds,” CNN’s editor-at-large continued.
Despite the media’s calls for Clinton to run again, Clinton has denied that she has any interest in the nomination. “No, out of the question,” Clinton told the Financial Times in June. “First of all, I expect Biden to run. He certainly intends to run. It would be very disruptive to challenge that.”
But Clinton’s refusal to entertain the possibility of running in 2024 has not quieted the “whispers.” Juan William wrote an opinion article in the Hill on Monday that suggested Clinton may be the right Democrat to replace Biden.
“Democrats need a strong voice ready to fight to restore women’s rights, now that the Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade,” Williams wrote.
“Unlike most Democrats at a loss for a midterms message, Clinton knows how to deal with the far right’s bullying,” Williams continued. “The GOP’s media echo chamber long ago demonized her. She still beat Donald Trump in the popular vote in 2016.”
“There’s only one Hillary Clinton,” Williams praised the failed presidential candidate.
With Biden’s polling numbers sinking to the low 30s, the media and some Democrats are pressuring Biden not to run again due to his age. Meanwhile, Democrats and their media allies are trying to find a replacement for Biden in case he chooses not to seek reelection.
Public opinion is against Biden. Polling shows a majority of voters believe Biden is unfit to be president and doubt his mental acuity. Fifty-eight percent say Biden should publicly disclose his mental health condition. And a majority of voters expect Vice President Kamala Harris to assume the presidency before Biden’s first term is over.
The pressure has reportedly gotten to Biden, who has complained that the media and the Democrat Party are being disloyal to him. The Times noted Biden has been “irritated” with the “lack of respect from their party and the press” while also complaining about a lack of “loyalty,” displays of which “have been few and far between.”
Still more frustrating to Biden is that polling indicates that he is well behind former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 matchup: here, here, here, here, here, and here. Yet polling data is not much better for Clinton, who also trails Trump by double digits.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter and Gettr @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.