Minnesota DFL chair backs Biden as 2024 debate divides delegation

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."