Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has not ruled out a presidential bid in 2024 if President Joe Biden chooses not to run, according to a report from the Washington Post.
The newspaper cited a memo from Faiz Shakir, Sanders' 2020 campaign manager, in which Shakir wrote: "In the event of an open 2024 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Sanders has not ruled out another run for president, so we advise that you answer any questions about 2024 with that in mind."
The Shakir memo runs contrary to a statement from 2020, when Sanders — after a failed bid to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination — informally handicapped his odds of running again as "very, very slim."
In 2016, Sanders finished second to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, and four years later, Sanders lost out to eventual President Joe Biden in the primary, despite winning California, Nevada, Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Last month, President Biden said he'd welcome a rematch with former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential general election, while also stopping short of formally declaring his intentions to run again.
And earlier this week, there were reports of President Biden alerting former President Barack Obama of his reelection plans for 2024.
Sanders spokesman Mike Casca offered the following response to the Post report:
"While it's frustrating this private memo leaked to the media, the central fact remains true, which is that Senator Sanders is the most popular officeholder in the country," Casca told the Post, while citing recent polls.
Sanders, who loosely identifies as both an independent and democratic socialist, has the option of skipping the Democratic primary proceedings and running as a third-party candidate.
However, Sanders passed on that potential shortcut in both 2016 and 2020.
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