WASHINGTON (Fwrd Axis) — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has “not ruled out” a third run for the White House in 2024 if President Joe Biden decides not to seek re-election, his former campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, wrote in a memo to allies Wednesday.
“In the event of an open 2024 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Sanders has not ruled out another run for president, so we advise that you answer any questions about 2024 with that in mind,” Shakir wrote.
Sanders has previously ran twice for the Democratic nomination in 2016 and 2020 but lost. Since then, he has become a prominent voice in the Democratic party. As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders helped advise Biden and implement some of his own platforms.
Biden has previously said he intends to run for re-election despite polls showing half of Americans do not believe he will seek a second term.
The Washington Post was the first to report on the memo.
“As campaigning heats up in states across the country, your political opponents and their corporate-aligned allies will try to make you feel defensive about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ support for your candidate,” Shakir wrote. “Our advice is to embrace the attacks.”
Recent reports have stated a Sanders endorsement is more likely to sway Democratic voters than one from Biden or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Shakir wrote in the memo to embrace the attacks that Democrats may get from Republicans.
Biden’s approval ratings currently have him at 43 percent approval among likely or registered voters and 52 percent disapproval. While there are two years until the general election, Democrats are worried Biden’s own numbers may hurt the party later in the year.
In the memo, it was not officially ruled Sanders would run against Biden. However, the possibility seems unlikely.
“Sen. Sanders is putting forward an extremely popular vision for the Democratic Party that will win back critical support that we have lost,” he wrote. “In fact, Bernie wants to build power for the working class and take on the corporate socialism that our political system currently favors.”
