Typically, an incumbent president in their first term in office tends not to be challenged for their party’s nomination in pursuit of a second term, but it’s certainly not unprecedented for such a president to “be primaried.” In these situations, the sitting president is opposed by candidates in their own party and forced to defeat these challengers in the primary elections for the privilege of representing their party in the subsequent general election.
In 1992, for instance, President George H.W. Bush was primaried by Pat Buchanan. In 1976, President Gerald Ford was primaried by Ronald Reagan, and perhaps most famously, in 1980 President Jimmy Carter was primaried by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA). And note that in each of those cases, not only was that incumbent president primaried by upstart members of his own party, each of those incumbent presidents went on to lose in the general election the following November.
Indeed, it’s not actually groundbreaking for a sitting president to be challenged by a member of their own party for the next election, so it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that our current president, the illustrious President Joe Biden, has already had an opponent throw their hat into the ring. But there is an aspect of this news that is especially noteworthy.
What is particularly eyebrow-raising about this proclamation is the timing. It’s only July of 2022. Biden’s challenger has announced his candidacy and we’re still months away from November’s midterm elections, and Biden has only been in office for eighteen months. We should also recognize that we haven’t had a single candidate officially announce their candidacy on the other side of the aisle, as not one Republican has announced their intentions to run in 2024 yet.
But a Democrat has, and that announcement is an appropriate illustration of just how unpopular Mr. Biden is.
According to Newsweek:
“On Monday, political activist Jerome Segal announced his decision to pursue the nomination from the Democratic Party, with a campaign focused on job security and peace in the Middle East.
Segal’s announcement came less than a week after he conceded the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Maryland. He ran in a crowded primary, losing to Oprah-backed Wes Moore, who was declared the winner late Friday and will go on to run against Trump-backed Dan Cox in the general election.”
Whether Mr. Segal is a serious candidate remains to be seen. Considering that he lost the Maryland gubernatorial primary handily indicates that he may merely be another clown with ulterior motives. (Then again, the current Oval Office occupant is a clown in his own right.) Perhaps Segal is merely hoping to increase his name recognition with the hope of writing a successful book after his inevitable loss. Jerome Segal may be the 2024 version of Marianne Williamson, Eric Swalwell, or Julian Castro; or maybe not.
Even if Segal’s defeat is inevitable, there are certain conclusions that we can still draw from his candidacy.
– For such a challenger to come forward this early in the process is a clear indicator that fellow Democrats believe Joe Biden is very vulnerable and based on his poll numbers that’s probably an understatement.
– It’s possible that such a notification this early in the game will embolden other hesitant but perhaps more formidable opponents to consider running.
– And can also see that with Jerome Segal’s announcement, it’s not just Biden whose immediate future looks dismal, it’s the entire Democratic Party. Jerome Segal came in 9th out of 10 candidates in Maryland, yet he’s going to run for president? That must be a pretty weak bench the Democrats have.
While the candidacy of Jerome Segal may crash and burn before it even takes off, it does accentuate the susceptibility of Joe Biden. And it will be fascinating to watch if more viable candidates decide that Joe must go.
By Jess Lawson
Jess Lawson is a regular contributor to The Blue State Conservative and a passionate, conservative millennial who loves America.
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