President Joe Biden’s decision Sunday to withdraw from the 2024 election brings to an end a nearly 50-year run in which either a Bush, a Clinton or a Biden would appear on the ballot as the presidential or vice presidential candidate for the White House.
Members of the Bush and Clinton families, along with Joe Biden, have been on the shortlist for every presidential election since 1980, when Ronald Reagan and running mate George H.W. Bush won.
In 1984, Reagan and Bush were easily re-elected, and then Bush himself became president in 1988.
In the next four elections, either Bush or Clinton ran, with Bill Clinton defeating George H. W. Bush in 1992, Bob Dole in 1996, and George W. Bush winning the elections in 2000 and 2004.
The next four elections (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020) saw either Biden or Hillary Clinton run, with Barack Obama and Joe Biden winning the first two, Hillary Clinton losing to Donald Trump in 2016, and Biden beating Trump in 2020.
The revelation that those names may be absent in 2024 came after Biden announced Sunday that he would not run for the White House against President Trump in this year’s election, citing concerns about his age and ability to do the job.
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to step down and focus on fulfilling the duties of my presidency for the remainder of my term,” Biden said.
He quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, calling on Democrats to “come together and defeat Trump.” In addition to Biden, Harris has since been endorsed by Democrats including former vice presidents Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Various names have been floated as possible running mates for Harris, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Sunday’s decision breaks with nearly 50 years of tradition, as neither Bush, Clinton nor Biden are running in the 2024 presidential election.
2024 Election:What’s next for Democrats’ big gamble heading into the 2024 election? We don’t know.
Let’s look at how Bush, Clinton and Biden have performed so far as candidates for the White House.
1980
- Republican candidate: Ronald Reagan
- Vice Presidential Candidate: George H.W. Bush
1984
- Republican candidate: Ronald Reagan
- Vice Presidential Candidate: George H.W. Bush
1988
- Republican candidate: George H.W. Bush
- Running Mate: Dan Quayle
1992
- Democratic candidate: Bill Clinton
- Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate: Al Gore
- Republican candidate: George H.W. Bush
- Republican Vice Presidential Candidate: Dan Quayle
1996
- Democratic candidate: Bill Clinton
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Al Gore
2000
- Republican candidate: George W. Bush
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Dick Cheney
2004
- Republican candidate: George W. Bush
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Dick Cheney
2008
- Democratic candidate: Barack Obama
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Joe Biden
2012
- Democratic candidate: Barack Obama
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Joe Biden
2016
- Democratic candidate: Hillary Clinton
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Tim Kaine
2020
- Democratic candidate: Joe Biden
- Vice Presidential Candidate: Kamala Harris
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at tardrey@gannett.com.
