- Ro Khanna, Gavin Newsom, and J.B. Pritzker are being eyed as possible presidential contenders.
- But they told CNN they're backing Joe Biden in 2024.
- Biden is "still the safe brand in the midwestern states" to defeat Donald Trump, Khanna told CNN.
Three Democratic leaders are saying they don't want to run against President Joe Biden in a primary, even as they're being eyed as potential presidential contenders.
Rep. Ro Khanna and Gov. Gavin Newsom, both of California, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told CNN that they're backing Biden, who has said he intends to run in 2024 if he's in good health.
Khanna told CNN he would "absolutely not" seek his party's nomination and that Biden, if he chooses to run, is still the best person to defeat former President Donald Trump.
"I plan to support (Biden) because of the danger that Donald Trump poses," said Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley and served as co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. "I would certainly not do anything to weaken him, and I hope no one else will do anything to weaken him. He's still the safe brand in the midwestern states to make sure Trump is kept far away from the Oval Office."
Khanna's support for Biden in 2024 is "nuts," progressive commentator Cenk Uygur said on his talk show "The Young Turks," citing Biden's low poll numbers.
A recent New York Times and Siena College poll found nearly two-thirds of Democrats don't want Biden to be their party's presidential nominee in 2024.
"Why did you just say Biden is our best bet to beat Trump?" Uygur said on his show of Khanna. "No he's not. Not even close. Not within a million miles of that being true."
Khanna is beloved among Sanders progressives, while Pritzker and Newsom have been offering different approaches to taking on Republicans, signs that they could be laying the groundwork for a future presidential campaign.
Pritzker, who also said he supports Biden, drew attention for his strongly-worded response to the Highland Park mass shooting on July 4. "If you are angry today, I'm here to tell you to be angry," he said then, in contrast to Biden's milder posture.
Newsom, meanwhile, told CNN that Democrats need to "unify" and "not destroy ourselves from within." Newsom has been picking fights with Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis with a $105,000 ad buy over the July 4 weekend, fueling national speculation about whether he's considering his own 2024 bid.
"We need to have our President's back," he told CNN. "But we also have to get on the field. He needs troops."
Trump has repeatedly teased another presidential run but he's held off on making an official announcement.