Michigan Democrat on Biden running in 2024: 'New blood' is needed in the party
Rep. Elissa Slotkin argued her party needed new, younger leadership when asked if she would support President Biden running in 2024.
Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin was less than enthusiastic about the idea of President Biden running again in 2024, telling NBC News that her party needed "new blood."
When asked if she'd personally support Biden on Sunday's "Meet the Press," the congresswoman was matter-of-fact, saying she would support "the sitting president" if he chooses to run because that followed precedent.
But she quickly called for new leadership "across the Democratic Party."
"But I have been very vocal, including with my own leadership in the House, that we need a new generation, we need new blood. Period," she stated.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin greets US President Joe Biden upon arrival at Capital Region International Airport in Lansing, Michigan, on October 5, 2021. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
VULNERABLE HOUSE DEMOCRATS NOTICEABLY ABSENT FROM BIDEN'S TRIP TO DETROIT
Slotkin added, "I think the country has been saying that."
Democrats currently control Congress and the White House.
With 69% of Americans saying the country is headed in the wrong direction according to a recent Marist poll, some Democrats like Slotkin have distanced themselves from the president.
In July, the congresswoman leaned into those voters' concerns by ripping the Biden administration's "spin" on inflation.
"I think people can feel and see spin and I don’t think they like it," she told CNN at the time.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a rally hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at Richard Montgomery High School on August 25, 2022 in Rockville, Maryland. Biden rallied supporters for Democratic candidates running in Maryland and to encourage Democratic voters nationwide to turn out in the November midterm elections. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Still, the Democrat reiterated she would support the "sitting president" "if he decides to run."
Slotkin was elected in 2018 and is seeking her third term. She is in a tight race against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett, which Fox News Power Rankings predicts will be a "toss-up."
Other vulnerable Democrats running in competitive races have also shied away from the president, whose approval ratings remain underwater.
President Biden tugs at shirt collar while in White House. (Getty Images)
A majority of Democratic voters say they do not want Biden to run again, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.
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