Cenk Uygur Announces Presidential Run to Challenge Biden

OCT 12 2023·Updated FEB 6 2024

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Image credit: Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Politicon

The Facts

On Wednesday, Cenk Uygur, the founder of the progressive news outlet The Young Turks, announced he will challenge Pres. Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.
Axios
Uygur, who has often urged Biden to get out of the race, is a naturalized US citizen who was born in Istanbul. He plans to challenge the Constitution’s "Natural Born Citizen" clause in court.
The Hill
On his campaign website, Uygur wrote that the upcoming election is the "most important of our lifetimes." And on X, formerly Twitter, Uygur accused Biden of not being able to make his own case for reelection despite success during his term.
Spectrumnews1
Recent polling showed Biden with a 53.9% disapproval rating and an approval rating of 39.5%, and dozens of polls show Biden’s approval is sinking.
Spectrumnews1
Uygur previously ran for office in 2020, when his bid for a Congressional seat in southern California ended with him finishing fourth with 5.9% of the vote.
The Messenger
The only other challenge Biden faces for his party’s nomination is from Marianne Williamson given the switch of Robert Kennedy Jr.'s campaign from the Democratic Party to running as an independent.
Semafor

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The Spin

Democratic narrative

Putting aside the question of whether Uygur is eligible to serve as president, Biden’s unpopularity in some polling hasn’t stopped the President from dominating the Democratic field. Even someone with the name recognition and financial backing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. couldn’t gain traction and opted for an independent bid. Uygur’s heart might be in the right place, but looking at the polling numbers, this primary is already over.

Huffington Post

Republican narrative

Despite Biden’s poor polling against Trump, Democrats have closed ranks around him. And now they’re left with the media personality Uygur thinking he has a chance to challenge the incumbent president. Uygur isn't eligible to serve in the Oval Office, and even if he was he barely registered any support in a Congressional race and has no chance on the national stage. All signs point to the eventual resounding defeat of Biden by the GOP.

Daily Wire