With the recent results of the New York Times poll, demonstrating the weakness of President Biden’s political status, it is only natural to assume other Democrats will prepare to run whether or not he stays in the race.

As I wrote in my article for Newsweek, the Democrats would be better off if he announces now that he will not run for a second term. If he waits until after the midterms and the Democrats lose significantly, he will be worse than a lame duck.

Democrats considering the race have to make several calculations. If Biden stays in and the others announce, they will be further weakening the President. However, they have a rationale to run given the high likelihood that Biden would lose in 2024. His age is a huge factor, and he can’t get any younger.

Furthermore, if they wait until Biden realizes he can’t run and attempts to anoint his Vice President, these same candidates have to decide if they can be seen as denying an African-American woman the nomination. If they get in earlier, the identity politics of the Democratic Party are easier to navigate.

Whichever path they take, other Democrats of a different generation cannot and will not let Biden take the party down in 2024 without a challenge. If he waits until after disastrous midterms, his situation will continue to deteriorate.  The fact that Joe Biden is a good man and was a necessary person to defeat Trump will not save him from an administration that has shown no ability to get in front of domestic issues in a time of great upheaval. It is a lack of political leadership that is needed going forward that can only come from the next generation of Democratic leaders.