Representative. Jim Clyburn (D.C.) on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to run for re-election in 2024 and said Democrats should not challenge him for the party’s nomination.
Clyburn, the deputy House Democratic leader, told CBS News that Biden has passed “more progressive legislation than any president since Lyndon Baines Johnson.”
“I think he’s demonstrated in these two years, which will soon be two years, that he deserves to be re-elected, and I think he’s going to be re-elected regardless of who the Republicans might support,” Clyburn said.
Former President Donald Trump announced his 2024 bid after November’s midterm elections saw Republicans win control of the House and Democrats retain their majority in the Senate.
Trump will hold his first campaign event in South Carolina later this month, where he will be joined by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster.
The GOP is expected to have a crowded field of candidates in 2024, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a likely Trump challenger.
Clyburn said he does not expect Biden to face a challenge from Democrats.
“I don’t think it will and I don’t think it should,” Clyburn said.
He added that “the story is very clear about what happens when you challenge a sitting president like that,” pointing to the contest between then-Sen. Ted Kennedy and Jimmy Carter in 1980.
While Carter won the Democratic nomination, he lost the general election to Republican Ronald Reagan.
Clyburn’s comments come as speculation has grown that Biden is planning another run and how the discovery of classified documents from his former office and home could complicate his re-election bid.
Clyburn said there was no evidence Biden intentionally seized the classified material. He advised Biden to “stay away” from the Justice Department’s investigation, which is being led by a special counsel.
“And if other documents are discovered, do what he did before, turn them over immediately,” Clyburn added.
Clyburn gave Biden a major endorsement ahead of South Carolina’s 2020 Democratic primary. That state’s candidacy was critical to the survival of Biden’s campaign after poor showings in previous states.
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