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The governors gathered in the nation’s capital in recent days for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. And while they were focused on their jobs, questions about the 2024 presidential race were inevitable.
Democrats joined in saying they would support President Joe Biden if he runs again.
Asked Saturday if she’d like to see Biden run again, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told NBC News’ Jillian Frankel: «The president has said he’s going to run, that he’s going to have my support.» whitmer too told CNN over the weekend that she is «100%» focused on her current job when asked if she could run for president in 2028.
At a Democratic Governors Association press conference on Thursday, a group of 11 governors echoed support for Biden’s potential re-election campaign.
“100%. Yes,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the DGA chairman, said when asked directly if Biden should run again.
Murphy later told «Meet the Press» that Biden «has what it takes» to run for a second term, noting Biden’s recent travels to promote various infrastructure projects.
«I think you’re going to see more and more of that, and when you do, you’re going to see, I think, a significant shift in the numbers and the reality,» Murphy said, responding to a question about the recent NBC News poll that found voters questioning Biden’s fitness.
Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox also joined “Meet” and weighed in on the presidential race, saying he would like to see his party nominate a governor.
In other campaign news…
Trump’s electoral cloud in 2020: Former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen continue to hang over his campaign amid ongoing investigations. His lawyers are preparing to fight the recent subpoena by Vice President Mike Pence’s special counsel, according to NBC News’ Garrett Haake and Minyvonne Burke. Former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien was also recently subpoenaed in the investigation into Trump’s attempt to overturn the election results, according to NBC News’ Carol E. Lee and Dareh Gregorian.
Inflection point?: Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the outreach by conservative youth group Turning Point USA to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, NBC News’ Allan Smith and Vaughn Hillyard report.
DeSantis making plans for the summer?: Maggie Haberman of the New York Times (who just co-author of a long article on the dynamic between the former Trump and DeSantis) tweeted that DeSantis is considering a potential in late May or early June presidential announcement.
Started, rights wars have: NBC News’ Sahil Kapur delves into the battle between President Biden and Republican lawmakers over Social Security and Medicare.
Calling the cavalry: South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is seen as a potential 2024 presidential contender, has hired former Colorado Senator Cory Gardner and another seasoned Republican political operative to head his political operation, Axios reports.
Electoral denialism on tour: Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake iowa criss cross this weekend, according to the Washington Post, and promoted a false message that the 2022 election was rigged as he seeks to run for office again.
A retirement on the horizon?: In an interview with the New York Times, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., confirmed does not plan to run for president again, but did not say whether he planned to run for the Senate again in 2024.
The race to fill Feinstein’s shoes: Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., plans to announce her Senate campaign later this month, a source confirms to NBC News. She would make her the third candidate to announce her candidacy to fill Senator Dianne Feinstein’s seat. Feinstein has not yet announced if she will run for re-election.
He «CEO of Anti-Woke” follow the trail: Vivek Ramaswamy, a frequent Fox News guest and conservative upstart, is exploring a run for president and has appeared at multiple recent events in Iowa, Politico reports.