Liberal congresswoman backtracks after saying Biden won't run in 2024

New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney on Wednesday walked back comments she made the day before that she doubts President Joe Biden will run for a second term in 2024, breaking from the Democratic party's status quo.

Despite the White House repeatedly saying that Biden intends to run for reelection, Maloney told debate moderators "I don't believe he's running," during her own campaign for re-election, when she was asked if the president should run.

Maloney is in a heated primary race for NY's 12th congressional district, largely due to new redistricting that pits her against Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is currently serving in the 10th district. The two will face off at the primary election on August 23rd.

Nadler told debate moderators that it was "too early to say" if Biden would run again in 2024, adding that speculation "doesn't serve the purpose of the Democratic Party to deal with that until after the midterms."

Maloney's surprising answer was quickly seized by conservatives, with the Republican National Committee posting the clip from the debate to social media.

Maloney is the chair of the House Oversight Committee, and her prognosis of Biden's prospects are at odds with some others in the party: The Democratic National Committee and the White House, as well as congressional leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer, have aligned on another potential Biden-Kamala Harris ticket.

The President previously told ABC News' David Muir that he would run as long as his health remained good.

Maloney, who has been in Congress for nearly 30 years, backtracked her remark on Wednesday morning, tweeting that she would "absolutely support President Biden, if he decides to run for re-election."

"Biden’s leadership securing historic investments for healthcare, climate & economic justice prove once again why he is the strong and effective leader we need right now," she stated.

Maloney is not alone among fellow Democrats in her possible reservations about a second Biden term, with Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota coming out against the idea in a radio interview last Thursday.

"I have respect for Joe Biden," Phillips said Thursday on WCCO’s The Chad Hartman Show when asked if he wanted Biden to run for re-election. "Despite some mistakes and some missteps, despite his age – I think he's a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion, of empathy, and of strength."

"But to answer your question directly, which I know is quite rare," he added. "No, I don't. I think the country would be well served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats to step up."

Phillips said that "political competition would be healthy" and "we should never pre-anoint anybody." He then called for a "generational change," pointing to the age of Biden, who at 79 years old sets the record for the nation's oldest serving president.