Carville says election 'wouldn't have been close' if Biden dropped out in 2023
Democratic strategist James Carville said Democrats would have easily won the 2024 presidential election if President Biden dropped out earlier.
“Had President Biden gotten out, say May of 2023, I don’t have any doubt that Democrats would have won, and it wouldn’t have been close,” Carville said during an interview on The Hill’s “Rising” on Friday.
He said the relatively narrow vote margin in the election demonstrated the “weakness” of Trump’s candidacy, even with two-thirds of the public saying the country is heading in the wrong direction under Biden.
Carville said the “fundamental” part of the election was that voters wanted change, and Democrats failed to offer “something different."
“When you have over two-thirds of the country that says we’re on the wrong direction, we need something new, you got to give them something new,” he said.
He pointed to Harris’s appearance on ABC’s “The View” in which she said “not a thing comes to mind” that she would have done differently from Biden. He said his heart “sank” when he heard that response.
Biden resisted calls to step aside for months as questions rose about his cognitive ability and fitness for four more years in office. After a lackluster debate performance in June, Biden eventually decided to end his reelection campaign, and Harris quickly coalesced support as the Democratic nominee.
Some in the party argued that a new Democratic candidate would have more support coming out of a competitive primary, but Biden left little time for an intraparty contest.
Harris faced pressure throughout her campaign to break from Biden, particularly on the economy and the war in Gaza, but she largely avoided public criticism, despite Biden's low approval numbers.
Carville was among many in the party who were optimistic about Harris's chances heading into November's election. He explained Friday that Democrats had been winning elections consistently since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, and the party had better organization and more money than years past.
“But we still lost the election, and we lost the election for a simple reason,” he said. “Voters wanted change, and we refused to say we were going to give them change, which hopefully never happens again.”
-
Joe Biden prepares to bow out
Plus, UK retail earnings, South Korea’s Yoon summoned to parliamentary hearing and Venezuela’s Maduro sworn inFinancial Times - 12h -
Hamas releases video it says is of Israeli hostage held in Gaza since 2023 attack
Family of now 19-year-old conscript Liri Albag appeals to PM to ‘take decisions as if it were your own children there’. The armed wing of Hamas has released a video it says is of an Israeli hostage ...The Guardian - 1d -
Trump says he’s been in touch with GOP holdouts ahead of Speaker vote
President-elect Trump said he has been in touch with Republican holdouts ahead of Friday afternoon's Speaker vote, as uncertainty swirls about whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has enough ...The Hill - 2d -
Jill Biden got most expensive gift from a foreign leader in 2023. Here's what it was
President Joe Biden and his family were given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual accounting published by the State Department on Thursday, ...The Hill - 2d -
Antony Blinken: ‘China has been trying to have it both ways’
The outgoing US secretary of state on putting pressure on Beijing over Ukraine, the ‘road map’ for Syria — and why America must co-operate in order to leadFinancial Times - 2d -
Jill Biden got the priciest gift from a foreign leader in 2023 — a $20,000 diamond
A spokesperson for the first lady said the diamond will be turned over to the National Archives after President Joe Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.NBC News - 3d -
Jill Biden received $20,000 diamond from Indian PM in 2023, among other gifts
Annual report details gifts given to first family by foreign leaders, most of which are transferred to National Archives. Joe Biden and his family were given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts ...The Guardian - 3d -
WATCH: Toddler and her dog have never been apart
Tika the Iggy is a social media star, and her sister Kala has the sweetest relationship with the family's daughter, Eleanor.ABC News - 3d -
James Carville: I Was Wrong About the 2024 Election. Here’s Why.
Perception is everything in politics, and a lot of Americans perceive Democrats as not feeling their pain or caring too much about other things.The New York Times - 3d
More from The Hill
-
Biden: Jan. 6 reminds us that democracy 'is never guaranteed'
President Biden said in a Sunday opinion piece for The Washington Post that the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol reminds Americans that democracy “is never guaranteed.” “We should commit to ...The Hill - 3h -
Trump blasts the 'corrupt' and 'broken' legal system ahead of his sentencing
President-elect Trump on Sunday blasted the “corrupt” and “broken” legal system ahead of a Jan. 10 sentencing date in his New York hush money case. In a Truth Social post highlighted by Mediaite, ...The Hill - 3h -
Trump calls on GOP to pass his agenda in 'one powerful bill'
President-elect Trump on Sunday made public his support for Republican lawmakers to pass key components of his agenda into law with a single reconciliation bill, previewing what is expected to be a ...The Hill - 4h -
MSNBC host blasts Trump for Mar-a-Lago event with John Eastman documentary: 'Sickening'
MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend on Sunday criticized a recent event featuring a documentary about President-elect Trump’s ally John Eastman that occurred at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago estate. ...The Hill - 5h -
Biden signs Social Security bill, says American retirees deserve 'economic security and dignity'
President Biden on Sunday signed a Social Security bill repealing two statutes that have diminished payouts to public sector workers including firefighters and teachers for years. “The bill I’m ...The Hill - 7h
More in Politics
-
Biden: Jan. 6 reminds us that democracy 'is never guaranteed'
President Biden said in a Sunday opinion piece for The Washington Post that the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol reminds Americans that democracy “is never guaranteed.” “We should commit to ...The Hill - 3h -
Trump blasts the 'corrupt' and 'broken' legal system ahead of his sentencing
President-elect Trump on Sunday blasted the “corrupt” and “broken” legal system ahead of a Jan. 10 sentencing date in his New York hush money case. In a Truth Social post highlighted by Mediaite, ...The Hill - 3h -
Trump calls on GOP to pass his agenda in 'one powerful bill'
President-elect Trump on Sunday made public his support for Republican lawmakers to pass key components of his agenda into law with a single reconciliation bill, previewing what is expected to be a ...The Hill - 4h -
Trump backs massive single bill for taxes, border and energy
Some Republicans have expressed support for enacting two pieces of legislation, instead of trying to stuff everything into one bill.Politico - 4h -
MSNBC host blasts Trump for Mar-a-Lago event with John Eastman documentary: 'Sickening'
MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend on Sunday criticized a recent event featuring a documentary about President-elect Trump’s ally John Eastman that occurred at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago estate. ...The Hill - 5h