This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63654388

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
US presidential election 2024: Democrats taking on Joe Biden US presidential election 2024: Joe Biden's Democratic challengers
(6 months later)
Joe Biden has launched his re-election campaign with a video in which he says the country faces a pivotal moment in the 2024 vote. US President Joe Biden is running for re-election next year, but national opinion polls and weak job approval ratings suggest voters may not be keen to re-nominate him.
The Democratic Party, however, still need convincing that he is the best candidate they have. Mr Biden, 80, formally announced his 2024 re-election bid in April, telling voters the country is in a pivotal moment and he needs more time to "finish this job".
Polls show about half of Democrats want the party to nominate someone else - although many of those said they will still vote for him. The Democratic Party faithful, including elected leaders and top donors, are backing him up - but many voters still need convincing he is the best candidate the party has.
With the party unlikely to schedule any debates ahead of the primary election, Mr Biden is not expected to face a serious challenge. Significant numbers of Democrats have called for other options, expressing concern over Mr Biden's age, mental acuity and a series of challenges ahead, both domestic and global.
So who else is running? The president's approval ratings have also declined to the lowest of his tenure, in overall terms and among Democrats.
But with the party unlikely to schedule any debates ahead of the primary election, he is not expected to face a serious contest.
So who is challenging Mr Biden?
Dean Phillips
Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips filed a long-shot bid for the nomination in late October, after calling on Mr Biden to step aside for months.
Mr Phillips, 54, has served in the US House of Representatives since 2019 and represents a mostly suburban district that includes parts of Minneapolis' outskirts.
The former businessman is a moderate Democrat and, prior to his bid, stepped down from his position as an elected leader in the House Democratic minority.
He claims the man he is challenging has done "a spectacular job" as president but that "it is time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders".
The Democrat has hired Jeff Weaver, a top adviser to Bernie Sanders in his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids, and Zach Graumann, campaign manager to Andrew Yang's 2020 bid, as senior strategists.
Another hire, Steve Schmidt, who was a top adviser to Republican John McCain's 2008 campaign, helped with Mr Phillips' launch and is now leading outside fundraising efforts.
Mr Phillips' policy offering does not substantially differ from that of Mr Biden, but his challenge represents an undercurrent of Democratic discontent.
Early polling and campaign events, however, suggest the little-known lawmaker's entry has done little to shake up the race.
Marianne WilliamsonMarianne Williamson
Self-help guru Marianne Williamson was the first Democrat to jump into the 2024 race, with a formal campaign launch in March.Self-help guru Marianne Williamson was the first Democrat to jump into the 2024 race, with a formal campaign launch in March.
Ms Williamson, 70, is a long-time social justice activist, best-selling author and former "spiritual advisor" to Oprah Winfrey who made her first foray into politics in 2020.Ms Williamson, 70, is a long-time social justice activist, best-selling author and former "spiritual advisor" to Oprah Winfrey who made her first foray into politics in 2020.
She transfixed audiences with a frenetic performance at two Democratic primary debates, in which she declared that the only way to defeat Donald Trump was to "harness love for political purposes".She transfixed audiences with a frenetic performance at two Democratic primary debates, in which she declared that the only way to defeat Donald Trump was to "harness love for political purposes".
The fringe candidate ended that campaign before voting began but she has remained an outspoken voice for the progressive left.The fringe candidate ended that campaign before voting began but she has remained an outspoken voice for the progressive left.
Her 2024 policy platform backs universal government-run healthcare, free childcare, at least $1tn (£800bn) in slavery reparations to black Americans and a federal agency called the Department of Peace.Her 2024 policy platform backs universal government-run healthcare, free childcare, at least $1tn (£800bn) in slavery reparations to black Americans and a federal agency called the Department of Peace.
Ms Williamson is seeking to build her campaign by engaging with young voters on TikTok, where her content has gained millions of views. Ms Williamson has sought to engage young voters through TikTok, but her campaign has gained little to no traction, barely registering in most polls.
Marianne Williamson responds to 'hit piece' allegationsMarianne Williamson responds to 'hit piece' allegations
Robert F Kennedy Jr Cenk Uygur
The nephew of President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated, and the son of US Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, who was also killed, launched his campaign for the White House in April. Progressive political commentator Cenk Uygur announced he was running for the Democratic nomination on his Young Turks talk show in October.
He is at least the 12th member of the Kennedy dynasty to run for political office, which has helped Mr Kennedy, 69, garner as much as 21% support in recent polls. Mr Uygur, 53, founded and has hosted the programme since 2002, during which time he has built an outspoken, populist persona and often courted controversy with his views.
The long-time environmental lawyer once won plaudits for campaigning on issues such as clean water, including working to clean up the Hudson River in New York. But his quixotic bid for the White House faces one major obstacle: he was born in Turkey, which makes him ineligible under the Constitution to run for the office.
But he has been publicly shunned by much of his family over what they call his "tragically wrong" conspiracy theories about vaccines, and embraced by far-right personalities like Alex Jones and Steve Bannon. Mr Uygur plans legal action to challenge wording that he says renders naturalised US citizens like him "second-class citizens".
Mr Kennedy's vaccine scepticism long predated Covid-19, but he found a new audience during the pandemic, when revenues to the anti-vaccine non-profit he founded in 2011 doubled. Already though, election officials in two early voting states - New Hampshire and Nevada - have said he will not appear on primary ballots.
Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic congressman and two-time presidential candidate who routinely bucked the party line, is managing Mr Kennedy's campaign.
Anti-vaccine Kennedy to challenge Biden in 2024
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Democratic PartyDemocratic Party
US politicsUS politics
United StatesUnited States
Joe BidenJoe Biden