'Don't run, Joe': Progressives launch campaign to stop Biden from running in 2024

A left-wing grassroots organization launched a campaign this week to pressure President Biden not to run for reelection in 2024.

RootsAction, which backed the presidential bids of Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020, introduced its "Don't Run Joe" digital ad campaign Wednesday, just one day after the midterm elections, the Washington Times reports.

The ads began running in New Hampshire, which has long hosted the country's first presidential primary, but the campaign will be rolled out nationwide over time.

"We cannot risk losing in 2024. We shouldn't gamble on Joe Biden's low approval rating," one advertisement read.

The president's approval ratings, which sunk to historical lows over the summer, was on average in the low 40% range heading into Election Day.

In a statement on the Don't Run Joe website, the campaign's backers argue it would be a "tragic mistake" for Democrats to renominate Biden.

"Unfortunately, President Biden has been neither bold nor inspiring. And his prospects for winning reelection appear to be bleak," the website states. "With so much at stake, making him the Democratic Party's standard-bearer in 2024 would be a tragic mistake.

"A president is not his party’s king, and he has no automatic right to renomination," the statement continues. "Joe Biden should not seek it. If he does, he will have a fight on his hands."

RootsAction, which boasts an email list of 1.2 million supports across the U.S., is sponsoring the campaign but said it expects other organizations to sign on to it eventually.

A majority of Democrats don't want Biden to seek reelection in 2024, according to recent polling.

One source of particular concern for at least some voters is Biden's mental acuity has he nears his 80th birthday.

Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, recently said his "intention" is to run again for the White House. On Wednesday, he told reporters to expect an official decision on whether he'll seek reelection early next year.