Should Biden not run for a second term, Twitter poll shows surprising results of most popular replacement candidates

Gretchen Whitmer was found to be more popular than V.P Harris

Should Joe Biden run and win a second term when he takes the oath of office on January 20, 2025, he will be 82. If he were to serve the entire period, he would be 86 when he leaves office.

While an active 82-year-old today has access to better healthcare than 50 years ago, much less 100 years ago, and can lead a fulfilling life, there are limits. Given the stress of the American presidency – think of the dramatic hair color changes of George W. Bush and Barrack Obama from the start to the end of their eighty years, it’s questionable if Biden has the stamina to complete another term should he win.This isn’t just a question on Fox News or Breitbart. It is a topic among Democratic Party loyalists as well.   Recently a popular political website DC Report, run by former New York Times reporter David Cay Johnston, conducted a poll asking voters if Biden does not run, would they support. The unscientific poll shows some surprising results and confirmation of another.The confirmation shows that Transporation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s popularity continues, while Vice President Kamela Harris’ continues lagging. Buttigieg was in first place at 35.9 percent, while Harris was in last place amount the four choices presented with 10.7.And here are the surprise findings, coming second place was California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and third place was Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Newsom received 31.9 percent, and Whitmer had 22.6 percent.Even though Biden is expected to run for another term, the fact that chatter persists shows unease among Democrats. Should Biden not seek another term, it will set up interesting primary battles in both parties.While it is less than two years to the 2024 presidential election, which in politics is an eternity, anything can happen. However, it does set up some Democratic-Republican showdowns that could be epic. It is noteworthy that Buttigieg, a Gay armed services veteran, is popular with party regulars and has mass appeal. Conversely, Vice President Harris has only tepid support from party regulars and is not as favorably viewed as Buttigieg. As for the two governors in the poll, Newson said he will not run for president in 2024. But, as we all know, if the conditions are right and Biden doesn’t seek another term, Newsom can come up with some rationalization to have a change of plan and run. The strong showing of Whitmer might come as a surprise, but given her exposure and political accomplishments in the last few years, she is viable. Under Whitmer’s lead, Michigan, which Republicans have heavily gerrymandered for over 40 years, now has a majority in both houses, and Democrats hold all statewide offices.     Given today’s popularity of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has numerous anti-inclusionary stances, can you imagine him running against Secretary Buttigieg? Of course, the same could be said of a Newsom or Whitmer showdown with DeSantis or another MAGA Republican who dominate the party. If Biden does not run and regardless of who the Democratic nominee might be, given the influence and division sowed upon American politics by Donald Trump, his lingering ghost will ensure that whoever the nominees are, Americans will have vastly different choices on how we envision the future.