President Joe Biden faces an unexpected 2024 primary challenger as Cenk Uygur, the founder of the far-left “Young Turks” network, declared his candidacy to run against the incumbent president on Wednesday.
“Yes, I’m running against Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. Joe Biden is down 24 points on the economy,” Ugyur posted online with a link to his campaign website. “He has no ability to make up that kind of ground on the most important issue. We need a new candidate now!”
However, Uygur’s website outlines four key issues in its concise policy section, which encompass paid family leave, a $15 minimum wage, affordable health insurance, and the elimination of congressional district gerrymandering.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to help him decide that this is not the right path,” Uygur told Semafor, speaking about Biden. “If he retires now, he’s a hero: He beat Trump, he did a good job of being a steward of the economy. If he doesn’t, he loses to Trump, and he’s the villain of the story.”
The last time he ran for office was in 2020 when he couldn’t even earn 7 percent of the vote in California’s 25th congressional district. He said that the campaign did teach him one thing, that “the mainstream media, generally speaking, are grotesque liars.”
“I don’t believe in traditional campaigning,” Uygur told Semafor. “I will do almost all my campaigning in the media. I love diners. I love meeting actual voters. But that’s mythology, and you’re not going to diner your way into beating an incumbent president.”
BREAKING – Cenk Uygur announces stunning presidential run promising to defeat Joe Biden, Community Notes, and the US Constitution.
🇹🇷🇺🇸🤔 pic.twitter.com/sg3EyIiQeg
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) October 12, 2023
However, Ugyer faces a significant obstacle: he is ineligible to run for president according to the Constitution. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, he does not meet the requirement of being a natural-born citizen to hold the office of the President of the United States. Nonetheless, he has expressed his intent to challenge this provision in court, expressing confidence in achieving a “slam dunk” victory.
“I have lawyered up. I have the same lawyer [Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)] used in both of his presidential runs. And my guess is I’m going to have some strong allies in this. Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he said, according to Breitbart News. “I’m going to the Supreme Court. Either I’m going to win or I’m going to lose. Now this case is on our side. The precedent is definitely on our side. So, what are you going to do, brother?”
Marianne Williamson is also running against Biden for the Democratic nomination, but Uygur said, “Unfortunately, she hasn’t broken through.”
“I have nothing but respect for her courage and her policies, but at this point, we’re not at progressives versus establishment. We’re at four months left, and things must change. Otherwise, we’re almost definitely going to lose to Trump,” Uygur added, per The Hill.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had initially been vying for the Democratic party nomination, but he revealed at the end of the previous month that he would opt to run as an Independent instead.
As per a text message that was reviewed by Mediaite, the Kennedy campaign is preparing to release “critique ads” targeting the Democratic National Committee shortly, with the aim of clearing the path for his forthcoming announcement, which he intends to make in Philadelphia.
“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy, so an independent run is the only way to go,” a Kennedy campaign insider told the outlet.
Kennedy has reportedly been exploring the notion of a third-party candidacy for several weeks, particularly after the DNC’s decision not to schedule primary debates once RFK Jr. and Maryanne Williamson entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The New York Times reported last month that he had discussions with the chair of the Libertarian Party, sparking discussions about a potential departure from the party that had long been associated with his family name, as highlighted by Mediaite.