Sanders’ team says he’s ‘not ruled out’ a 2024 bid if Biden doesn’t run

WASHINGTON – Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has “not ruled out” a bid for president in 2024 if the President Joe Biden chose not to run for re-election, his former campaign manager wrote in a memo to allies on Wednesday.

“In the event of a 2024 Democratic presidential primary, Senator Sanders is not ruling out another presidential run, so we recommend answering any questions about it. 2024 with that,” wrote Faiz Shakir, according to a copy of the memo obtained by NBC News.

Sanders is lost bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020 but has become an increasingly influential voice in Democratic politics and policymaking. As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders has helped advance Biden’s agenda reflects parts of his own background.

The 2024 line is the final line of a lengthy memoir that Shakir describes as containing “confidential” – that is, not publicly released – information about Sanders’ plans for the coming months.

Biden has said he will seek a second term in 2024, but some Democrats are quietly questioning whether he can make it.

Washington Post first reported on the memo.

The main thrust of the memo, entitled “Embrace the Attacks,” was in defense of the candidates and their supporters, who found themselves affected by accepting Sanders’ endorsement.

“As the campaign heats up in states across the country, your political opponents and their corporate-aligned allies will try to make you feel defensive about the Senator’s support. Bernie Sanders for your candidacy,” Shakir wrote. “Our advice is to be open to the attacks.”

Among the reasons he listed: an NBC News poll suggests that Sanders’ endorsement is more likely to sway Democratic voters than Biden or Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y.

Notably, in an FAQ section of the memoir, Shakir answered the possibility of Sanders going against Biden without specifically ruling it out.

“Senator Sanders is delivering a hugely popular vision for the Democratic Party that will regain the critical support we’ve lost,” he wrote. “In fact, Bernie wants to build power for the working class and implement the corporate socialism that our political system currently supports.”

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here