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President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to 鈥渇inish this job鈥� and extend the run of America鈥檚 oldest president for another four years.

Mr. Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party鈥檚 nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he鈥檚 still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.

The announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Mr. Biden declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the 鈥渟oul of the nation鈥� amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump 鈥� a goal that has remained elusive.

鈥淚 said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,鈥� Mr. Biden said. 鈥淭he question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.鈥�

While the prospect of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that鈥檚 not always been the case for Mr. Biden. A notable swath of Democratic voters have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age 鈥� concerns Mr. Biden has called 鈥渢otally legitimate鈥� but ones he did not address head-on in the launch video.

Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Mr. Trump returning to power. And Mr. Biden鈥檚 political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in last year鈥檚 midterm elections. The president is set to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving access to abortion.

鈥淔reedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There鈥檚 nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,鈥� Mr. Biden said in the launch video, depicting Republican extremists as trying to roll back access to abortion, cut Social Security, limit voting rights, and ban books they disagree with. 鈥淎round the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.鈥�

鈥淭his is not a time to be complacent,鈥� Mr. Biden added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 running for reelection.鈥�

As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Mr. Biden plans to campaign on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now in control of the House, Mr. Biden has shifted his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements.

The president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that he鈥檚 asking voters to give him another chance to fulfill.

鈥淟et鈥檚 finish this job. I know we can,鈥� Mr. Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his State of the Union address in February, listing everything from passing a ban on assault-style weapons and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to codifying a national right to abortion after the Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling last year overturning Roe v. Wade.

Buoyed by the midterm results, Mr. Biden plans to continue to cast all Republicans as embracing what he calls 鈥渦ltra-MAGA鈥� politics 鈥� a reference to Mr. Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� slogan 鈥� regardless of whether his predecessor ends up on the 2024 ballot.

In the video, Mr. Biden speaks over brief clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans, and flashes of outspoken Republican foes, including Mr. Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. He exhorts supporters that 鈥渢his is our moment鈥� to 鈥渄efend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.鈥�

Mr. Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraine鈥檚 defenses against Russia鈥檚 invasion and returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance flowing to Kyiv.

The president faces lingering criticism over his administration鈥檚 chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray, and he鈥檚 the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies.

As a candidate in 2020, Mr. Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world. But even back then, he was acutely aware of voters鈥� concerns about his age.

鈥淟ook, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,鈥� Mr. Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.鈥�

Three years later, with the president now being 80, Mr. Biden鈥檚 allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader.

Still, many Democrats would prefer that Mr. Biden didn鈥檛 run again. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Mr. Biden鈥檚 verbal 鈥� and occasional physical 鈥� stumbles have become fodder for critics trying to cast him as unfit for office.

Mr. Biden, on multiple occasions, has brushed back concerns about his age, saying simply, 鈥淲atch me.鈥�

During a routine physical in February, his physician, Dr. Kevin O鈥機onnor, declared him 鈥渉ealthy, vigorous,鈥� and 鈥渇it鈥� to handle his White House responsibilities.

Aides acknowledge that while some in his party might prefer an alternative to Mr. Biden, there is anything but consensus within their diverse coalition on who that might be. And they insist that when Mr. Biden is compared with whomever the GOP nominates, Democrats and independents will rally around Mr. Biden.

For now, the 76-year-old Mr. Trump is the favorite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to the bitterly fought 2020 campaign. But Mr. Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, including the designation of being the first former president to face criminal charges. The remaining GOP field is volatile, with Mr. DeSantis emerging as an early alternative to Mr. Trump. Mr. DeSantis鈥� stature is also in question, however, amid questions about his readiness to campaign outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state.

To prevail again, Mr. Biden will need the alliance of young voters and Black voters 鈥� particularly women 鈥� along with blue-collar Midwesterners, moderates, and disaffected Republicans who helped him win in 2020. He鈥檒l have to again carry the so-called 鈥渂lue wall鈥� in the Upper Midwest, while protecting his position in Georgia and Arizona, longtime GOP strongholds he narrowly won last time.

Mr. Biden鈥檚 reelection bid comes as the nation weathers uncertain economic crosscurrents. Inflation is ticking down after hitting the highest rate in a generation, but unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy is showing signs of resilience despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

鈥淚f voters let Mr. Biden 鈥榝inish the job,鈥� inflation will continue to skyrocket, crime rates will rise, more fentanyl will cross our open borders, children will continue to be left behind, and American families will be worse off,鈥� Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.

Presidents typically try to delay their reelection announcements to maintain the advantages of incumbency and skate above the political fray for as long as possible while their rivals trade jabs. But the leg up offered by being in the White House can be rickety 鈥� three of the last seven presidents have lost reelection, most recently Mr. Trump in 2020.

Mr. Biden鈥檚 announcement is roughly consistent with the timeline followed by then-President Barack Obama, who waited until April 2011 to declare for a second term and didn鈥檛 hold a reelection rally until May 2012. Mr. Trump launched his reelection bid on the day he was sworn in in 2017.

Mr. Biden is not expected to dramatically alter his day-to-day schedule as a candidate 鈥� at least not immediately 鈥� with aides believing his strongest political asset is showing the American people that he is governing. And if he follows the Obama playbook, he may not hold any formal campaign rallies until well into 2024.

On Tuesday, Mr. Biden named White House adviser Julie Ch谩vez Rodr铆guez to serve as campaign manager and Quentin Fulks, who ran Sen. Raphael Warnock鈥檚 reelection campaign in Georgia last year, to serve as principal deputy campaign manager. The campaign co-chairs will be Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn, and Veronica Escobar; Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Duckworth; entertainment mogul and Democratic mega-donor Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Ms. Whitmer.

On the heels of the announcement Tuesday, Mr. Biden was set to deliver remarks to union members before hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit at the White House. He plans to meet with party donors in Washington later this week.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.