Hillary Clinton may be the 'best option' to lead Democrats -- and likely face down Donald Trump -- in 2024, two Democrat operatives said on Tuesday.
Just a year into Joe Biden's presidency, his and Kamala Harris' low popularity and back-to-back domestic and foreign crises has Democrats searching for a viable presidential candidate.
That could set the stage for the former Secretary of State's political comeback, Douglas E. Schoen and Andrew Stein predict in a piece for the Wall Street Journal.
It all depends on how Democrats perform in this year's midterm elections, they write.
'Given the likelihood that Democrats will lose control of Congress in 2022, we can anticipate that Mrs. Clinton will begin shortly after the midterms to position herself as an experienced candidate capable of leading Democrats on a new and more successful path,' the experts claim.
Clinton's deep roots in Washington, DC as a First Lady, then US Senator, then Secretary of State alienated her to voters who craved an 'outsider' to shake up the swamp in 2016, part of the reason for her stunning loss to Trump.
But her vast experience could be useful for Democrats seeking a 'different approach.'
It's typically unusual for political operatives to start seeking potential candidates for the next election, especially so far out of the administration, when a member of their own party controls the White House already. It is also rare for an incumbent president to face a serious primary challenge.
A nationwide Democrat loss in the 2022 midterm elections could catalyze a Hillary Clinton comeback, the op-ed writers predict
But if Biden clinched another term in the White House he would be 81 years old when he was sworn in, a record for the oldest person to take office.
Doubts over his fitness for office at an advanced age coupled with approval ratings that have been in the low 40s since October have served to dim his chances.
He's also faced heat for the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal last summer, soaring inflation sending prices through the roof and, more recently, a delayed response to the Omicron variant-induced COVID wave causing travel chaos and massive shortages in virus testing.
Harris has not fared much better. Despite being set up as Biden's heir apparent during the 2020 campaign, the trailblazing vice president has struggled in the polls and faced criticism on numerous fronts, including her relative inaction on the southwest border after being named the president's point-person on the crisis.
A recent USA Today poll found that just 40 percent of voters approved of Biden's job in the White House. Harris' approval rating sat at 32 percent.
Those devastating factors could
