Biden allies brush off calls for primary debates

President Biden’s long shot primary rivals increasingly want to debate him in 2024, but those demands are being ignored by the White House and haven’t picked up steam with progressives in Congress. 

Biden’s two Democratic opponents, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson, have talked openly about the benefits of debating. Third-party candidate Cornel West also said he would “welcome” the chance to go head-to-head with the president, in a text message to The Hill.  

But the calls have not won support from liberal members of the House and Senate, at least so far. And Democratic strategists say there’s not much reason to think Biden’s campaign would sign off on a debate — especially given arguments that agreeing to share a stage would only elevate his two marginal opponents.  

“Biden should not debate them,” said Jim Kessler, a Democratic operative and executive vice president of policy at the centrist think tank Third Way. “They are both gadflies who have done nothing to earn the right to debate a sitting president in an otherwise uncontested primary.”  

“You have to earn your way to the debate stage,” Kessler said. “These folks are light years short of that.” 

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Televised debates are high-visibility productions with the goal of reaching millions of viewers. Elevating Kennedy, in particular, means the risk of spotlighting some of his more questionable views, which many Democrats see as disinformation, especially when it comes to topics like vaccines and the Russia-Ukraine war.  

Democrats say Biden shouldn’t step into that potential minefield. 

“President Biden has important work to do like managing our complicated relationship with China, growing the economy and keeping the border secure,” said Kessler. “RFK Jr. has little else to do but hang out with his Hollywood friends.” 

Biden has relied on a reelection structure that keeps him away from much of the pomp and circumstance of the campaign season. In 2020, he didn’t have the kind of large-scale rallies that his more progressive rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) put on, and a Democratic source familiar with his 2024 operation said Biden’s circle would like to run a “light” campaign this time around, too.  

Last cycle, Biden participated in Democratic National Committee debates during the open primary, where candidates who met basic criteria were able to articulate ideas and sharpen their platforms against each other. Biden was pressed by everyone from now-Vice President Harris about his record on race, to Sanders on his past votes in the Senate on economic and social safety net legislation. 

President Joe Biden speaks about reproductive rights during an event in Washington, Friday, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

This time, the ball is in Biden’s court. The power of the incumbency offers a natural advantage within his party in that few mainstream Democrats have voiced a desire for him to debate such a small pool of rivals who many believe to be non-credible challengers.  

In addition, the bulk of the focus is on the Republican side and a growing field of GOP candidates looking to outcompete former President Trump for the nomination.  

The Oval Office advantage and national attention across the aisle have allowed Biden to effectively sidestep the debate issue without much scrutiny, avoiding what can be a rocky part of an election cycle: sparring with rivals, defending a record and showing competency under pressure on the national stage.  

He also benefits from some goodwill built up among his party’s progressive wing in Congress, which has generally embraced the administration or at least been willing to compromise with it at important moments. That alliance, while tested at times, has caused some on the left to be skeptical that any push for debates will actually gain traction. 

“I would be stunned if any ‘progressive’ in Congress called for the DNC to hold debates,” said Nina Turner, a former elected official from Ohio who co-chaired Sanders’s most recent presidential campaign. “And believe me, I would love to be stunned.” 

Still, some outside progressives and activists like Turner say that Biden needs to defend his agenda to win over voters a second time. That’s especially the case as his job approval ratings continue to drop to less favorable numbers. Several current surveys show him continuing to lose support among voters after formally announcing his reelection campaign in the spring. 

“Biden risks being exposed for his administration not doing much to change the material conditions of everyday people in this country,” Turner said, alluding to the idea that some Democrats don’t believe Biden has accomplished enough to improve their lives during his first term in office. 

Progressives have been making that point more forcefully in recent weeks as Biden and his allies have pivoted to the center on things like crime, climate and immigration, pushing their priorities further down the list and away from voters’ minds.   

Those in favor of a debate see the potential to bring those ideas back into the forefront, especially if he is publicly pressed by several more liberal candidates in a live format. 

“He would be forced to answer to the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party,” said Turner. “Our platform says one thing and the corporate wing of the Democratic Party does the opposite thing.” 

AP Photo Evan Vucci: Jose Luis Mangana

“He risks the same thing that scared the hell out of neoliberals in 2016, which is [that] the ideas of the progressive left are popular with the vast majority of the American people,” she added. 

For now, the desire to debate is largely held by his rivals themselves and boosted by a small faction of voices dissatisfied with Biden over what some see as a mountain of concessions to moderates.  

While the calls are muted for now, the desire could become more pronounced if some prominent lawmakers or other officeholders start making it an issue.   

“Of course, there should be debates in a democratic system as a way to help voters choose the candidate that best represents their views,” said a campaign spokesperson for Kennedy.  

“We have not been making a big issue about debates, because the point is so obvious it hardly needs to be made,” they said.  

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There’s also a philosophical element to the decision. Some Democrats see debates as critical to the broader democratic process. They represent free speech and a unique feature of American politics that allows for a range of ideas to be presented transparently to the public. They also give candidates a chance to introduce themselves and show contrasts in style and substance. 

“Debates can also help voters evaluate a candidate’s character,” the Kennedy spokesperson added. 

Williamson, who participated in some 2020 primary debates by meeting the DNC’s qualifying threshold, has been the most vocal about wanting to battle it out with the president. 

“POTUS absolutely should debate us,” she wrote on Twitter last month, referencing a poll by Change Research that showed 11 percent of support for her bid and Kennedy’s. In April, she went a step further, tying what Democrats see as a significant threat from more extreme Republicans to the notion that certain rights of expression could be at risk without debates.  

“With the fascists at the door, the last thing we should do is limit the conversation about how to defeat them,” Williamson wrote. “The assumption that Joe Biden is necessarily our best bet in 2024 should be vigorously challenged. He should face his primary challengers in a meaningful debate.” 

While progressives generally believe that intraparty debates are good ways to present new ideas and negotiate new visions for what Democrats can stand for, many also say Biden’s rivals are not credible enough to take to task. Kennedy has shown a willingness to engage with some fringe GOP theories and fixtures within the party and Williamson doesn’t often register higher than low single digits in most polls. 

“Yes, I think presidential debates between qualified people, made in good faith, are only beneficial for democracy. A net good,” said Charlotte Clymer, a writer and Democratic strategist supporting Biden. “But President Biden’s current opponents are neither qualified nor running in good faith.” 

“​​RFK Jr. is a f—–g clown, full stop. The man wouldn’t understand scientific reasoning if it bit him in the ass. And Ms. Williamson struggles with very basic concepts on public policy. Neither are worthy candidates for President Biden,” she said.  

“The truth hurts.”