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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Vice Presiden Kamala Harris traveled this week to South Carolina to file paperwork on behalf of herself and President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 elections, a state that Democrats have moved up in the party’s primary cycle.
As reported by the Washington Times, the VP presented the filings at the South Carolina Democratic Party headquarters in Columbia, along with Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), “a senior Democrat who catapulted Mr. Biden toward victory in 2020 by endorsing his bid days before the state’s primary.”
“Madam chair, I’d like to officially present the paperwork,” Harris told party Chairwoman Christale Spain.
The VP went on to list some issues that she says are important to South Carolina which are likely to play a role in what is shaping up to become a rematch between Biden and GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump.
“It was South Carolina that created the path to the White House for Joe Biden and me,” the vice president said, referring to Biden’s primary victory in 2022. “It started here in South Carolina. So much of it can be attributed to the fight, to the commitment, to the perseverance of the people in this room and in the state.”
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Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is calling on the remaining GOP primary field to drop out and unify around the 45th president who is 45-50 points ahead of the next nearest competitor in all major surveys.
“Unless you’re a fan of cheap knockoffs or out-of-tune tribute bands, tonight’s GOP debate was a complete waste of time and money,” Chris LaCivita, a senior Trump campaign adviser said following the third GOP debate in Miami earlier this week.
“Voters want a return to the Country we had just three short years ago before Biden and the radical left began to destroy it, and voters believe President Trump is the only one who can make this a reality,” LaCivita said. “Simply put, voters want to Make America Great Again.”
“They are going nowhere, and at this point, every dollar sent to their campaigns or their SuperPACs may as well be going directly to Joe Biden. Donald J. Trump is going to be the next President of the United States,” LaCivita said. “It’s up to DeSantis and Haley to determine if they want a political future or not.”
New polling data indicates that Biden is lagging behind Trump in five battleground states, which is alarming and perplexing Democratic senators and poses a political challenge to the party’s Senate candidates seeking office in those states.
Democrats are concerned about Biden’s low polling results and what they mean for his electability in 2024, but they also maintain that Biden will be the party’s nominee absent a dramatic change in circumstances.
However, they concede that a lot of voters find Biden’s age (80) concerning.
“I hear immense praise for what he has done and how well he is doing on foreign policy and extremism at home. He’s doing everything right, is what I’m hearing. And yet there’s this lingering concern about electability,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said.
“The question about the polls concerns people,” added Blumenthal, who noted that Trump, 77, isn’t much younger than Biden.
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Senate Democrats claim that to inspire young voters, Biden needs to develop a stronger and more progressive political message. Among voters between the ages of 18 and 29, he and Trump are now virtually tied.
In 2020, Biden received 60% of the vote in this group, compared to 36% for Trump, The Hill reported.
“I think the president needs to have a more forceful message, and there are issues in our democracy — like the creeping dark money corruption, and in our environment, like increasingly chaotic climate problems we’re having — that deserve a real fighting stance,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said.