SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: State Senator on the fence over supporting a potential Biden reelection

Apr 25, 2022, 5:53 PM | Updated: Apr 26, 2022, 9:44 am

mark mullet governor...

Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) represents the 5th Legislative District. (Photo courtesy of Elect Mark Mullet)

(Photo courtesy of Elect Mark Mullet)

There’s no guarantee State Senator Mark Mullet will support President Biden if he runs for reelection in 2024, despite quickly swearing allegiance to his 2020 campaign.

“I think it would depend on who the Republican candidate was as, you know, I just have not been supportive of Donald Trump,” Mullet told Brandi Kruse on The Dori Monson Show. “I think it would definitely come down to who the Republicans are putting forward in terms of, are they going to pick a moderate? Are they going to pick somebody on the far right of the political spectrum? And then I think I’d be curious to know, on the Democratic side, if it’s going to be somebody in the far left, which does clearly make me uncomfortable.”

Biden: ‘No one should suffer or die because they cannot afford insulin’

“I’m not going to make any promises now because I just want to see what the playing field looks like in two years,” Mullet continued.

Despite the uneasiness in his allegiance towards Biden two years removed from the election, Mullet has been very supportive of the current administration’s efforts.

“I think he’s 10 times better than Donald Trump,” said Mullet. “And I still think he’s been a better president than what we would have seen from Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders. I haven’t agreed with everything that’s happened, but at the same time, if I was to choose between Trump or Warren or Sanders or Biden, I would still choose Biden.”

Mullet acknowledged Biden’s age and health is a real concern for potential reelection.

“I think you’d want to make sure that you’re putting forward the right candidate for the Democratic Party; that you think he could be effective for the entire length of that that four year term,” Mullet said.

Mullet briefly met with Biden during his speech at Green River College, and experienced what Kruse described as “his declining mental state” first hand.

“He definitely had a hard time remember Suzan DelBene’s name,” Mullet said. “I think the crowd started chanting ‘Suzan!’ to try to help him out and give him an assist on that one. I mean, he’s definitely in his late 70s. He was having a hard time remembering the Washington state delegation down there.”

Biden may not even seek reelection if Trump is not on the ballot in 2024, according to Mullet.

“If Trump is on the ballot in ’24, there’s a higher probability that Biden runs again,” Mullet said. “Just because they know that he’s created a coalition that is capable of defeating him.”

Climate progress remains elusive for Biden on Earth Day

When asked if Vice President Kamala Harris would be a good candidate, Mullet said he preferred Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Listen to Dori Monson weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

Associated Press

Asian shares are mixed and oil prices hold steady as the US raises pressure on Iran

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Tuesday after U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish ahead of potentially market-moving events later in the week. Regional benchmarks traded in a narrow range and U.S. futures were nearly unchanged. Oil prices were little changed after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced fresh sanctions against Iran […]

10 minutes ago

An election worker sorts vote-by-mail ballots at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Offi...

Associated Press

Nothing changes yet with the Supreme Court’s order on elections. But it could open door to ‘chaos’

The Supreme Court’s decision giving preliminary approval for President Donald Trump’s order restricting mail voting may not lead to a single election procedure changing during the November midterms, but it has already thrown into uncertainty the method that nearly one-third of the country uses to vote. Rather than saying that Trump’s order is legal, the […]

1 hour ago

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., left, looks on as Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a deba...

Associated Press

Darline Graham, Ralph Norman go head-to-head in South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman face South Carolina voters yet again Tuesday in a special Republican primary runoff to replace the late Lindsey Graham in the Senate, one month after his sudden death. The two-week runoff window since the two Republicans were the top vote getters in […]

1 hour ago

FILE - Tize W. Clark, right and his son, Zion Clark, participate in a walk to honor Native American...

Associated Press

FBI sets $25,000 minimum reward for dozens of unsolved Indian Country cases

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation has established a minimum reward of $25,000 in cases where people went missing or were killed in Indian Country, part of a broader effort to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. The new minimum applies to more than 50 unsolved homicides and […]

2 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks with Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen after a back to school event in the Ros...

Associated Press

Trump’s trade war with Canada could rattle economies in states with key Senate races

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada is escalating as the midterm elections approach, threatening Republican efforts to address voters’ economic concerns in a year when control of the U.S. Senate hinges on states along the border between the United States and its northern neighbor. The dispute flared over the weekend […]

2 hours ago

A dragonfly rests on a plant at the Lake Merritt Dragonfly Habitat Garden in Oakland, Calif., Frida...

Associated Press

Unusual dragonfly swarms sweep across California after warm spring rains

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Californians are spotting swarms of dragonflies flitting around parks, chasing mosquitoes in ponds and hunting flies on farms, a phenomenon experts say was likely fueled by unusually warm spring rains. Peter Veilleux, who owns a nursery in Oakland, said he started noticing the dragonflies — at one point spotting about 100 […]

2 hours ago

Dori: State Senator on the fence over supporting a potential Biden reelection