Progressive Group Drops Support for Biden, Launches #DontRunJoe Campaign for 2024
Left-wing RootsAction is opposing Biden's 2024 presidential renomination
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A top progressive group has announced it is dropping its support for Joe Biden and, instead, is launching a campaign to oppose him running for reelection in 2024.
The national progressive advocacy organization RootsAction backed Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
However, the group announced Monday that it is launching the "#DontRunJoe" national campaign, which opposes his renomination in 2024.
RootsAction has begun organizing a campaign to prevent Biden from running as the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee.
The group argues voters should neither deny nor excuse the Biden administration’s shortcomings.
“Unfortunately, President Biden has been neither bold nor inspiring,” RootsAction said in a statement.
“And his prospects for winning re-election appear to be bleak,” the organization adds.
“With so much at stake, making him the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer in 2024 would be a tragic mistake."
It comes as no surprise Biden continues to lose support from his voters — some of which stood behind him only to remove President Trump from office.
A recent FiveThirtyEight survey shows Biden’s approval rating dropped below 39 percent, the lowest of every president in their first term since Truman.
Michigan Democrat voter Nicole Farrier, 38, voted for Biden in 2020 and told the New York Times she wants a president with “younger blood.”
She said since Biden took office, she went from “living a comfortable lifestyle to I can’t afford anything anymore,” citing the increase in her cost of living.
“I am so tired of all old people running our country,” Farrier said.
“I don’t want someone knocking on death’s door.”
New York Republican voter John Waldron, 69, who also voted for Biden in 2020, told the New York Times he regrets voting for the current president.
“I thought he was going to do something for this country, but now he’s doing nothing,” Waldron said.
RootsAction co-founder Jeff Cohen told Politico while Biden dithers, progressive achievements — from abortion rights to the Clean Air Act — “just go out the window.”
“If you’re in touch with Democratic Party activists,” he said.
“The frustration is palpable.”
Cohen said the organization announced out of worry about Biden’s performance, inability to fight for working people, and courage to stand up against Republicans and corporate obstruction.
Norman Solomon, the organization’s other co-founder, said it’s become clear for many Democrats and others that Biden should not run again.
“To defeat Republicans and to effectively fight for progressive programs, we need Biden to be seen as a one-term president who will not be the Democratic nominee in 2024,” Solomon said.
Pia Gallegos, chair of the organization and co-founder of the Adelante Progressive Caucus of the New Mexico Democratic Party, said they need a president who won’t cater to oil and gas lobbyists, the weapons industry, or the pharmaceutical companies but would rather serve the working families nationwide.
“We need a president with the vision, courage, and power to achieve voting rights,” Gallegos said, adding a rapid transition to renewable energy, universal health care, access to abortion in all states, and controls on assault weapons high-capacity magazines.
In 2020, the group said progressive organizations like RootsActions secured Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump due to the “vital help” they provided in swing states.
However, the organization regrets supporting the current president saying Biden’s so-called “moderate” policies failed to address progressive voters’ concerns like climate change, student debt, and corporate price-gouging.
RootsAction helped launch a campaign to impeach Trump on his inauguration day and again created another movement to vote him out during the 2020 presidential election.
The organization initially supported Bernie Sanders for president in 2016 and 2020.
The #DontRunJoe campaign officially launches on November 9, 2022 — the day after the midterm elections.
“A president is not his party’s king, and he has no automatic right to renomination,” the organization said.
“Joe Biden should not seek it.”
“If he does, he will have a fight on his hands,” the statement added.
