As I write this we are a short (!) 464 days until election day 2024. It’s often been said that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s true. There hasn’t been an update in the candidates I’m following but I’ve included that part of my page. I have hopes of placing a countdown clock in this space but I haven’t yet found anything that works.
So here’s my update on day 464 until:
On the Democratic side, President Biden continues to lead the small pack. I have to confess I haven’t heard anything from Marianne Williamson but her web page is still active and she’s still collecting donations. Meanwhile, Robert Kennedy Jr. continues to find ways to make news without making him look like a lunatic and continues to fail. He recently suggested a conspiracy that COVID was targeted to spare Jews from getting sick. He later claimed this was not meant to be antisemitic. A few days ago he claimed that even though he is running for President he has been denied Secret Service protection. The Secret Service does provide protection for candidates but they determine when it’s appropriate (for example they protected candidate Barack Obama because of credible threats because of his race). But here RFK Jr. claims that the President is blocking them from protecting him. It’s true that both is father and his uncle were assassinated and that must be taken into account. But, as always, he cries conspiracy at every turn.
The Republican side is more interesting, if not new. Former President Trump continues to hold a sizeable lead even though he’s been charged with 37 indictments for his mishandling of classified documents. With the exception of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, his opponents either supports Trump’s claim of innocence or have remained silent. Despite the indictments Trump continues to raise money and has not lost much support. On the other hand he’s continuing to have trouble attracting independents. I suspect that the other Republicans are hoping something happens to Trump to remove him from the campaign. That will allow them to gain support without appearing disloyal to Trump’s supporters.
This isn’t exactly the level of courage I look for in leadership but they are not a courageous bunch. Playing the waiting game and hoping outside forces put you in the driver’s seat is no way to run a campaign, or a country for that matter.
It’s going to be a long 464 days.
Democratic Candidates:
Republican Candidates: