What to Know in Washington: Biden’s 2024 Bid Has Formally Begun

President Joe Biden formally announced he would seek re-election in 2024, readying a historic campaign against a Republican field dominated by his predecessor while economic uncertainty clouds his case for a second term.

Biden, 80, implored voters to let him “finish this job” he began when he took office and put aside any worries about his age. He said there is still work to do to give Americans a “fair shot” and beat back “extremists” in the Republican Party who want to cut government spending and curb abortion rights.

“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom,” Biden said in a video released today. “I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent.”

Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg

Already the oldest person ever elected president, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term and faces intense scrutiny about his fitness to serve another four years in the White House. His kick-off message shows he is betting voters will reward him for his decades of experience and record, while looking past age concerns.

Biden had long said he intended to seek a second term, making the official announcement somewhat of a foregone conclusion. He hadn’t felt pressure to declare his candidacy earlier because he faced no serious opposition for the Democratic Party’s nomination, his advisers said. The Democrats’ better-than-expected performance in the November midterm elections quieted talk of a significant primary challenge.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a potential Biden successor who’s come under fire from some Democrats for her job performance, will reprise her role as Biden’s running mate.

Biden tapped Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a senior White House official and veteran of the 2020 campaign, to manage his 2024 bid. Quentin Fulks, who managed Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.) 2022 re-election campaign, will be her deputy. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), both longtime Biden allies, will serve as campaign co-chairs, as will Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. Read more from Jordan Fabian.

OTHER CAMPAIGN HIRES

• Communications Hire: Longtime Democratic operative Michael Tyler is expected to be communications director. Politico first reported his hire on Sunday. He worked on Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) presidential campaign in 2020 and as the former chief of staff for the Democratic National Committee.
• DNC Officials: Sam Cornale, executive director of the DNC, and his deputy Roger Lau are in talks to possibly join the campaign. Both are well-liked by Biden’s top White House aides, two sources said. Lau was campaign manager for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) presidential campaign in 2020.
• Other Hires: Former White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz, who oversaw messaging related to the pandemic, will be a campaign spokesperson. And T.J. Ducklo, a former Biden 2020 campaign aide who resigned in February 2021 after abusive interactions with a female journalist, is expected to join Biden’s re-election effort.
• Returning Staff: Much of Biden’s 2024 campaign is still expected to be run of out the White House by long-time key aides, including Anita Dunn, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti and Bruce Reed.

BIDEN’S AGENDA

• At 12:30 p.m., Biden delivers remarks in Washington on US manufacturing and union jobs.
• The president then meets with South Korean leader Yoon Suk-Yul around 7:10 p.m.

CONGRESS’ SCHEDULE

• The House meets at 6:30 p.m. to vote on several measures under suspension of the rules.
• The Senate meets at 3 p.m. with a procedural vote planned on a Veterans Affairs nominee.

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McCarthy acknowledges there remain a number of holdouts demanding changes in the bill in return for their support. As few as five House Republicans opposing it—combined with what is expected to be unified Democratic opposition—would defeat the bill.

• Moody’s Take: The deficit reduction plan put forward by McCarthy as the price for lifting the debt ceiling would notably slow economic growth and increase unemployment next year if enacted, according to Moody’s Analytics. Read more

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What Else We’re Reading

• Chips Windfall: The Biden administration is setting up a network of advanced computer-chip design and engineering facilities, the focal point of plans to spend $11 billion on research and development. Read more
• Digital Repression: Countries like China and Iran are deploying more digital tactics to target dissent beyond their borders, the top US intelligence official said, raising alarm about the erosion of democratic norms. Read more
• Hacking Prevention: The DOJ will increasingly try to disrupt hacking attacks and share critical information with companies even if doing so doesn’t result in prosecutions, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. Read more
• Sudan Crisis: The US announced Sudan’s two warring factions had agreed to a three-day cease-fire and raised the prospect of peace talks, even as the two sides showed little appetite for negotiations to end fighting. Read more
• Dreamers’ Health: Some undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children could receive Medicaid or subsidized Obamacare coverage under a proposal announced Monday by the Biden administration. Read more

To contact the reporter on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com; Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com