Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) said she would prefer President Joe Biden face former President Donald Trump in November instead of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Escobar, who is the chairwoman of the House Progressive Caucus, said it was important for Trump to appear on the ballot so he could face up to his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot.
“Personally, I think it’s important that Donald Trump be on the ticket for a couple of reasons,” Escobar told Politico on Friday. “As a member of Congress who was trapped in the House gallery on Jan. 6, I think it was a real dereliction of duty on the part of senators who voted to acquit him.”
Escobar said the 2024 elections could be a moment of accountability for Trump and the senators who failed to convict him in the aftermath of the riot.
“They have an obligation to face up to this moment and do the right thing and speak out openly against their nominee,” Escobar said. “This should be a test for them, as well. But I look forward to defeating Donald Trump once again.”
The Texan, who is a co-chair for Biden’s reelection campaign, acknowledged that putting Trump on the ballot would give him an opportunity to become president again and admitted that the election would be close because of the polarization in the country.
Escobar also said third-party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., were running as “spoiler” candidates and added a layer of uncertainty to the election.
“I’m watching all of that very closely and this is going to be a close election for sure,” Escobar said. “Just look at how divided we are. But none of those third-party candidates have a chance of being president, they don’t. They are only serving as spoilers. … And this [election] is a real test for the country, including those people who are thinking of acting as spoilers.”
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The bipartisan group No Labels is also hoping to launch an alternative presidential ticket for November, which would feature one Democrat and one Republican on the party ticket. But no official candidates have been announced so far.
Trump is narrowly leading Biden in a hypothetical matchup, according to polls from RealClearPolling. Trump’s lead is slightly wider with Kennedy thrown in, with Kennedy pulling 19% of the vote, Biden with 33%, and Trump with 37%, according to the latest RCP average.
