Will President Joe Biden run for a second term in 2024? Will former President Donald Trump seek the Republican nomination again, or play kingmaker in a likely crowded field?
Political junkies love to discuss the slim possibility of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis running against Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris getting sidelined by another Democrat, except it doesn’t matter just yet. There are important questions people are rightfully asking about the future, but these conversations need to be put on the back burner–at least for now.
It’s understandable that people are spending time trying to predict the next election cycle, especially those in mainstream media trying to cast doubt onto potential Republican candidates like DeSantis, while he’s still running for re-election in Florida. They see him as a threat, and they will do anything to tear him apart before it’s too late.
As for average Americans, it’s nice to think about 2024 because it could signal the end of the Biden administration. The White House’s incompetent behavior about the economy, among other issues, is not doing them any favors, and the consequences for them are tangible and painful.
Here’s the deal: the midterm elections are on Tuesday, November 8, which is only 145 days from now.
A lot can happen until then, but Republicans will need to focus on grassroots campaigning if they want to secure Congress and seats in local races. Democrats in Washington have put forth such disastrous policies in the past year-plus that their opposition cannot risk being distracted by political hypotheticals. American’s personal finances are suffering due to high consumer prices, as a recession looms. The southern border is not fully secure. The Afghanistan withdrawal was botched, as veterans at home feel snubbed. It’s unacceptable, and the voters know it.
But make no mistake: Democrats will raise millions upon millions, if Roe v. Wade gets overturned, which is likely to happen by the end of June. Although abortion will not be the winning issue that left-wing activists want it to be, their base will still fork over cash that the party and candidates can use for numerous voter outreach tools on a variety of issues. Republicans need to hit them right back and remind easily persuaded voters about what’s truly hurting Americans.
For now, voters need to make tough decisions about who they want representing them in Congress and at their state capitols, because the presidency is unfortunately stuck. That’s not to say that people cannot think about 2024, except it should not be anybody’s first priority at the moment.
Americans need to feel optimistic about their country once again, and “Morning in America” will only arrive after playing defense in Washington for a couple of years. Republicans will presumably be unsuccessful in getting Biden to sign any conservative policies into law; however, they need to be watchdogs and stalwarts for sanity in order to limit the White House’s damage before 2024.
