California Governor Says Won't Challenge Biden for Democratic Nomination in 2024

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - California Governor Gavin Newsom put to rest questions that he may challenge US President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic nomination, saying that he told the White House over the summer that he had no such plans, American media reports.

"I've told everyone in the White House, from the chief of staff to the first lady," Newsom said, adding that he is "all in" to support Biden's reelection.

Speculations that 55-year-old Newsom, who was reelected to a second term in California, the most populated state, with nearly 60% of the votes, may challenge Biden have reportedly caused "considerable irritation" in the White House, the report said on Saturday.

Even before the midterm elections, Biden signaled plans to run for reelection in 2024, adding that his family was going to have discussions over it with a final decision expected early next year.

Former US President Donald Trump announced his latest presidential bid last week, after the Republican Party failed to gain control of the Senate and an anticipated broad wave of support for the GOP never materialized in the House midterms. The Republicans seized control of the lower chamber, several networks projected, although by a smaller margin than expected.

A number of Trump-endorsed candidates saw mixed outcomes in the midterms, which the former president himself described as "disappointing."

Experts told Sputnik that Trump would face stiff competition for the nomination from a new generation of rising Republican leaders including Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who won a landslide victory over his old opponent Charles Crist and was reelected as governor of Florida by a wide margin on November 8.