Twelve Days of WEX-mas: Biden seeks to keep Democrats in line as party seeks gains in 2024

In the spirit of the season, the Washington Examiner has identified 12 issues we believe will shape 2024 — and beyond. These close-up examinations of agenda-setting issues cover everything from the ongoing battle between the Biden family’s business deals and Republican Oversight, the emergence of a “new world order,” and fights over redistricting and new election maps. Part Nine is about the obstacles President Joe Biden must face to keep Democrats united in 2024.

As Democrats seek to regain their House majority in 2024, party leaders also must grapple with challenges to defend their slim majority in the Senate and hold on to control of the White House.

Republicans are on the offensive as they seek to flip control of both the Senate and White House, hoping to seize on top voter concerns to overcome their Democratic counterparts. That puts the pressure on President Joe Biden to keep the Democratic Party united, which has proven to be a challenge as some cracks have formed on a number of fronts.

HOUSE PREPARES FOR EARLY 2024 SHAKE-UP WITH SLEW OF SPECIAL ELECTIONS

Here are some of the lingering intraparty disagreements Biden must grapple with to keep his party in line ahead of the 2024 elections.

Israel

The war in Israel has reignited a long-standing debate among Democrats, highlighting the underlying tensions between those who staunchly support Israel and those who are adamant about defending Palestinian rights.

After the Hamas militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, progressive Democrats in the House have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and urged their colleagues to halt approving military aid to the country. Several of those lawmakers, many of whom belong to a group called “the Squad,” have publicly criticized Biden by name and accused him of fueling warfare.

“President Biden has called himself the most pro-union president in American history, but he is ignoring the voices of working people across the country who are demanding human dignity not only for their own families but for families in Gaza and around the world,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian American in Congress, said last month. “We all deserve to live. We all deserve to thrive, not just survive.”

Those tensions were especially put on display when the House censured Tlaib on Nov. 7 for her pro-Palestinian comments, punishing the Michigan Democrat for “promoting false narratives” about the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and allegedly calling for the “destruction of the state of Israel.”

The measure passed after 22 Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in supporting the measure, indicating intraparty dissension on the matter.

Meanwhile, tensions also are emerging in the Senate as lawmakers struggle to come to an agreement on providing military aid and whether such an assistance package should include conditions that scale back portions of Israel’s offensive attacks.

Some lawmakers such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have called for conditioning aid, seeking to reduce the number of civilian casualties in Gaza. However, those proposals have prompted some pushback from other Senate Democrats who argue Israel has the right to defend itself from attacks.

Border crisis affecting Democratic sanctuary cities

Biden also must grapple with the crisis at the southern border, which is expected to be a top voter concern heading into the 2024 cycle.

Customs and Border Protection encountered a record 2.48 million illegal immigrants in fiscal 2023, including 670,000 so-called “got-a-ways,” referring to those who entered the country illegally but have not been apprehended by border agents. The increase has prompted Republicans and Democrats alike to call on Biden to address the problem, setting up a clash between the president and his GOP counterparts.

Biden submitted a supplemental request to Congress last year seeking additional military aid to Ukraine and Israel with provisions attached to allocate funds to the southern border. However, Republicans have rejected the request unless it contains substantial border policy changes, slowing negotiations between the Senate and White House last month.

Meanwhile, Biden must respond to criticism from members of his own party in border states and sanctuary cities who say he is not doing enough to stem illegal immigration at the border.

Rolando Salinas, the mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas, lamented Biden’s lack of action, saying it has led to an influx of roughly 2,000 to 3,000 immigrants a day.

“It’s just an unfair, unethical situation,” Salinas told CNN on Thursday. “We feel ignored by the federal government.”

New York Mayor Eric Adams also has criticized the Biden administration as the city has dealt with severe budget cuts due to the influx of immigrants. City officials have reported more than 150,000 arrivals since the spring of 2022, and more than 67,000 of those immigrants are now staying in city homeless shelters.

“We had to do a real job of explaining to everyday New Yorkers that the federal government has abandoned this important issue that’s a national issue,” Adams told a local radio station on Dec. 18.

As a result, Adams, along with Democratic Mayors Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Mike Johnston of Denver, have repeatedly called on the federal government to provide more help.

Biden’s electability

At the center of Biden’s challenges is the question of the president’s electability — with some within his own party questioning whether he is the party’s best choice for a possible rematch against former President Donald Trump due to his age and low polling.

Biden, 81, has struggled with low approval ratings, and recent polls show the incumbent falling behind Trump in a head-to-head matchup. Only 39% of voters approve of Biden’s job performance, compared to 57% who disapprove, according to a poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College last month.

That same survey found Trump leading Biden 46% to 44% among registered voters. Another 9% are undecided, but if those voters had to choose between the two candidates today, 26% said they would choose Biden compared to 24% who said Trump. Half of those voters still said they didn’t know.

Biden’s polling has prompted some Democrats to question whether the president has enough stamina and credibility to defeat Trump a second time, with one member of his party going so far as to challenge him for the nomination.

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) announced in October he would run against Biden for the Democratic nomination, citing polls that showed Biden losing to Trump — an outcome he warned would be dangerous.

“I didn’t set out to enter this race,” Phillips said in his announcement. “But it looks like on our current course, the Democrats will lose and Trump will be our President again. President Biden is a good man and someone I tremendously respect. I understand why other Democrats don’t want to run against him, and why we are here. This is a last-minute campaign, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and courage is an important value to me.”

Biden could also face a challenge from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who said he would not run for reelection in the Senate but has left the door open to a presidential bid. Throughout his time in the Senate, Manchin often butted heads with Biden and became increasingly critical of the president’s policies over the last several months.

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Biden allies have worried that a third-party bid by Manchin would split the Democratic electorate and hand Trump the White House. Manchin pushed back against that notion, arguing that his campaign would not affect the race negatively.

“I’ve never been a spoiler in my life of anything, and I would never be a spoiler now,” Manchin told NBC’s Meet the Press in November 2023.