In 2016, Democrats did not pay attention to Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for the general election. Stein only received less than 2% in the general election — so there was no reason to be concerned, right?
Stein actually received more votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin than the difference between Clinton vs. Trump. Trump won the White House and all three states by a small margin.
In 2024, Democrats have vowed not to let that scenario repeat itself. But it’s not going to be easy. Joe Biden is being challenged from the left by the academic, author, civil rights icon, and celebrity leftist philosopher Cornel West and on the right by West Virginia’s gadfly moderate Sen. Joe Manchin and the No Labels Party.
West has inspired a segment of leftists who were disappointed with Joe Biden’s performance in areas such as civil rights, income distribution, climate change, and voting rights. He hasn’t received much support so far.
He’s only running at 4% and it’s safe to say he won’t be able to pull many Republican votes away from Donald Trump.
Biden’s stand-ins are already trying to bring down West. The champion of the “tax the wealthy” has been found to owe over half a mil in back taxes.
Daily Beast:
West said in a recent interview that “we have to have taxes which are higher, significantly higher” — while he told the New York Post, that Hunter Biden, the first son, had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of tax, but that the deal has now expired. He also claimed that the New York Post’s assessment was that the “little tap on the arm” that Hunter Biden received for his misdemeanor charge of tax amounted to a “little tap on the shoulder,” especially when compared to
Materials filed in Mercer County in New Jersey where West has a residence in Princeton, a wealthy college town, and Los Angeles, the location of his attorney’s personal office, reveal a second secret theme to West’s highly lucrative professional career: a failure by him to pay his taxes.
The documents indicate that the federal tax liens outstanding against the professor and activist are $543,778.78.
West is an excellent polemicist, who knows how to rile up the left by ranting against capitalism. This news is unlikely to cause a decline in support. He will continue to campaign until November 2024 when Biden’s team may have a difficult time stopping West from winning the election.
Joe Manchin’s problem presents a unique set of challenges. No Labels Party raises a staggering amount of money – $70 million – just to be on the ballots in all 50 states. No Labels’ entry into the presidential race would give Trump the presidency if a “moderate alternative” to Biden or Trump were to be entered.
Manchin is up for reelection for the fourth time in West Virginia, despite not having indicated that he would run for President. Manchin, 75, is one of West Virginia’s most popular politicians despite the fact that it is one of the states with the highest red hue.
He has also recently risen to prominence by being Joe Biden’s main opponent in terms of opposing the radical agenda of the president. Manchin also stated that he will not be the “spoiler”, in 2024, and he will only run if he is realistically able to win.
Politico quotes Biden’s close advisers who claim that they “take the group and its leaders, like Manchin, at their word” that they do not want to be a spoiler for Trump. They also say that if there is no way to reach the 270 Electoral College vote threshold they will not run.
History shows that the presidential bug is terminal once it has bitten. Manchin will always find a reason to run for president, even if it is unlikely that he would win.
The 2024 race is going to be different from the 2016 and 2020 races. Trump would face a unique challenge if he ran while being indicted. When the election comes around, perhaps there won’t be a Biden or a Trump. The electorate may have completely forgotten about Cornel Manchin and Joe West.
A third-party candidate could be an alternative if Trump or Biden withdraw for various reasons.