Shocked House Democrats wonder if Biden can stay ahead in the poll

A growing chorus of alarmed House Democrats say President Biden’s faltering performance in yesterday’s debate raises immediate questions about whether he should remain in the lead in this year’s presidential race.

Such criticism was unthinkable heading into Thursday night’s high-stakes event, as Democrats have fiercely rallied behind their White House ally throughout the campaign.

But things changed Thursday evening. Many Democrats were shocked by Biden’s faltering performance in Atlanta, where he stumbled over words, moved from one topic to another and appeared, more than once, to lose his train of thought. These lawmakers fear the shaky performance will only worsen the health and competency issues that have emerged as Biden’s main vulnerability.

Some are hoping he will withdraw from the race altogether — even if they are not publicly asking him to — in order to prevent former President Trump from winning a second term in the White House.

“It’s time for him to step aside,” a House Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, told The Hill. “We were all together this morning, a group of us for something. At this point, I haven’t spoken to anyone who doesn’t think it’s time for him to step aside. »

A second House Democrat, who also requested anonymity, reserved judgment on Biden’s next steps — “that’s a decision for another day … we’ll see what happens” — but said a certain number of people, both in their home state and at the Capitol. , think it is time for the president to give up his place at the top of the ranking.

“We hear a lot — here from friends — that we need someone who can articulate our message, and we didn’t see that last night,” the lawmaker said. “A lot of people say it… (A) majority of the people I talked to today. »

Pundits and panicked Democrats began this conversation almost immediately after the debate ended, and the White House, the Biden campaign and the president’s top allies worked quickly to squelch talk of a candidate change Friday morning.

Biden campaign spokesman Seth Schuster told The Hill that “of course he’s not giving up”; a White House official said “that’s not going to happen”; and Biden representatives ran around the Capitol to support the incumbent.

But the debate takes place in an election cycle where the House, Senate and White House are all up for grabs, and both parties are scrambling to gain any advantage, no matter how small, to help their side. Biden’s performance in the debate immediately raised concerns among Democrats, as he had not only hurt his own chances of retaining the presidency, but also hurt the party in the vote.

“It couldn’t be worse,” said a third Democratic lawmaker, noting that concern is widespread within the caucus.

That dynamic made for an unusual scene at the Capitol Friday morning, where dozens of reporters crowded the halls to get reactions from Biden’s Democratic allies, and many of those same allies went out of their way to avoid questions from reporters . Some lawmakers put their phones to their ears as they headed into the room. Others simply refused to speak. In another sign of the sensitivity of the subject, none of those who questioned Biden’s position on the ballot wanted to speak publicly.

“The hill just got a little higher,” said a fourth Democratic elected official. “We must do whatever is necessary to prevent Donald Trump from occupying the White House, and we are going to have a real discussion about what that entails. »

The lawmaker said there was already discussion about who could replace Biden on the list if he stepped aside to allow the party to choose an alternative candidate at the August convention. The list includes several governors: Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gavin Newsom of California. One name that was noticeably absent, according to several Democrats, is Vice President Harris.

“If there is a change, it will be a whole new ticket,” the fourth lawmaker said.

Age has become a central issue in a presidential election featuring the oldest candidates in the country’s history: Biden is 81 and Trump is 78.

Both candidates were pressed on the topic during Thursday’s debate. Trump responded by claiming he could hit a golf ball “a long way.” Biden countered with his own golf stats — and pointed to the long list of laws that have passed under his reign in the White House.

“Look how I’ve turned around the horrible situation he left me in,” he said.

In the eyes of some concerned Democrats, however, that record is not enough to overcome their fears that he would be a liability to the party if he remained on the list.

The top House Democrat, who called on Biden to step down, said “senior officials” in the Democratic Party “are going to have to go sit down with him and just say, look, you’ve done a phenomenal job, he It’s time.”

Democratic lawmakers said the list of advisers should include the president’s wife, Jill Biden, as well as party veterans with a long track record of working with him: former President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the House minority leader. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. James E. Clyburn (D), a South Carolina kingmaker who helped revive Biden’s 2020 campaign to a critical moment.

However, many in that crowd are rooting for the presumptive nominee, admitting that while it was a less than successful night for the incumbent, he remains the best person to lead their team in November.

“It was a bad performance,” Clyburn told reporters of Biden’s debate. But the South Carolina Democrat said he would “probably” speak to Biden later in the day, where he would deliver a succinct message: “Stay the course.”

Pelosi also said Biden “got off to a bad start” and noted that this “could be” his worst night, but she added: “On his worst night, his presentation of integrity was far better than the dishonesty of the other guy. »

Jeffries, who entered the Capitol Friday morning, told reporters “no” when asked if Biden should step down. But when asked later whether Biden was the most effective communicator to deliver the party’s message, the House Democratic leader was noncommittal.

“Until he articulates a path forward in terms of his vision for America at this time, I’m going to reserve any comment on anything related to the current situation, other than to say I support the ticket,” Jeffries said.

For now, many Democrats are urging their colleagues to take a breath, let the dust settle and see how voters react to the president’s performance.

“It was obviously not a good night,” said Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.). “But my advice to people would be: let’s sit down, see how the next two weeks go and see what comes out of it. »

Other lawmakers, however, believe the party has no time to waste.

“I think you have to do it quickly,” the top House Democrat told The Hill when asked whether party leaders should wait to see debate polls before speaking with Biden, or have the conversation immediately.

“At the end of the day, does it really matter?” the lawmaker said of the post-debate polls. “The only poll you need to see is the one from last night’s performance. That’s the poll.”

The lawmaker argued that Democrats still have time to make a change at the top of the ticket, with just under two months until the August nominating convention and just over four months until Election Day.

“We have time,” the lawmaker said. “You go to the convention, the convention can be a big sales party, like selling the new candidate, whoever it is.”

The second-ranking House Democrat, who responded “we’ll see what happens” when asked if Biden remains the nominee, was more succinct. When asked if the party was getting to work on the timing, they replied:

“We are at the limit. »

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