Minnesota DFL chair backs Biden as 2024 debate divides delegation
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The leader of the Minnesota DFL shot down calls from two prominent lawmakers within his party to replace President Biden with a new nominee in 2024, saying "most Democrats in the state don't agree with them."
Driving the news: U.S. Reps. Dean Phillips and Angie Craig both recently called for a new generation of leaders when asked if the president should seek another term.
- They're the most prominent federally elected Democrats to publicly support replacing Biden, as our colleagues noted in Axios' Sneak Peak this week.
Yes, but: DFL Party chair Ken Martin told Axios Wednesday that while he "understand[s] their opinions," he doesn't agree with Craig and Phillips and thinks it's "too early for that conversation."
- "I'm not sure why they felt compelled to talk about the 2024 election right now," Martin said in an interview at Farmfest. "We've got the [2022] elections right in front of us, and that's where we should be squarely focused."
The big picture: Only 26% of Democratic voters said the party should renominate Biden — who turns 80 in November — in a recent New York Times/Siena poll.
Between the lines: The question of Biden's future has divided the state's Democratic delegation, with U.S. Reps. Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar urging their counterparts to stay focused on the midterms.
- Omar, who supported U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2020 and has criticized the president on various policy issues, told the Star Tribune that she'd endorse Biden for a second term. She called talk of a new nominee unhelpful.
The intrigue: DFL Gov. Tim Walz, who is running for re-election, declined to weigh in Wednesday, saying seeking renomination is Biden's decision to make.
- "I got enough on my plate... that's two years out," he told reporters. "For now, I gotta focus on Minnesota."