Despite weak poll numbers and questions, including from some Democrats, about his age, Biden has stuck to his plan to seek a second term after clearing the field of serious Democratic primary challengers when he announced in April that he was running again. Biden loyalists, citing his record in office, argue that the party does not need a backup plan to defeat probable Republican nominee Donald Trump, who Biden beat in the 2020 election. To the chagrin of the White House, Biden's age has become a defining part of the 2024 campaign. "If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. In 1972, then Senator George Eagleton withdrew as Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern's vice presidential running mate after revelations of his treatment for depression forced him out of the race.

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Persons: Joe Biden, Eisenhower, Evelyn Hockstein, Biden, Donald Trump, Biden's, Kamala Harris, ” Biden, Daniel Wessel, Trump's, Trump, David Axelrod, Barack Obama's, Axelrod, Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips, Harris, Gavin Newsom, Elaine Kamarck, George Eagleton, George McGovern's, Sargent Shriver, McGovern, Newsom, Ron DeSantis, Jeff Mason, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Democratic Party, Democratic, Biden, Republican, Democrat, Reuters, MAGA, Republicans, Trump, White, Twitter, U.S, Brookings Institution, Democratic National Committee, DNC, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Nevada, South Carolina, Georgia, California , Illinois, Michigan, Chicago, California, Washington, Florida