Senate Democrats have been frustrated by their inability to dispel persistent speculation that party leaders have a different plan to replace Biden, the top Democratic candidate, due to concerns about Biden’s age and weak polling numbers.
They’re tired of hearing about Democratic voters and donors fretting about Biden’s age and electability, and they’re tired of reading about the Rube Goldberg-like schemes being pushed by Republicans and conservative media to destabilize the Democratic nomination.
One Democratic senator pretended to hold an imaginary pistol to his temple when asked about the possibility of removing Biden from the race before the Democratic National Convention in August or the general election in November.
The senator, who requested anonymity, said talk of replacing Biden sounded “interesting” but it was just a sign that political commentators were “having too much time on their hands.”
“That can’t be true. Absolutely not,” the congressman argued. “I don’t know what to say.”
The senator noted that Biden’s approval rating has risen slightly in opinion polls since a Manhattan jury convicted former President Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
“The latest nationwide [poll] He is 50 years old [percent.] “I think that’s true,” the senator added.
According to a recent analysis of national polls by FiveThirtyEight.com, Biden and President Trump are tied at 40 percent in head-to-head approval ratings, though Trump has held a slight lead over the president for months.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said talk of Biden dropping out of the race this summer or fall was “completely bizarre.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also poured cold water on the speculation.
“I haven’t heard of a credible Plan B and I don’t expect a Plan B,” he said.
The Democratic senator said Thursday’s debate between Biden and Trump will be a “real pivotal point” in the race and will determine the direction of the contest.
“All of the questions that people have right now are going to be answered differently after this debate,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to a choice between the two of them. I think Biden is a lot more astute, agile and savvy than Democrats are giving him credit for.”
“We all have moments when we can’t remember names, but that’s not the point of being president of the United States,” he said. “I don’t have a Plan B, and I’m not looking for a Plan B.”
Democratic senators have been touting for months that Biden will be the nominee in November’s presidential election and are confident he will beat Trump in the general election.
But that didn’t stop speculation flaring up in the media that there could be major last-minute changes to the list of candidates.
One Democratic fundraising consultant said he is sometimes asked by Democratic strategists and donors whether Biden will still be the party’s nominee in November’s presidential election, but the conversation usually dies down quickly.
“Even though people are mentioning it, talking about it, and someone is saying we need an alternative, it’s not being taken seriously as something that could actually happen,” the strategist said.
“You’re having a conversation with someone and someone asks, ‘Do you have a backup?’ Honestly. [Vice President Kamala] “Harris isn’t yet considered suitable for primetime,” the source added.
A Democratic consultant said there was “zero” chance of him replacing Biden.
Earlier this month, Business Insider published a list of “seven Democrats who could replace Biden if he decides not to run for reelection in 2024.”
Then, in an interview on Wednesday, “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who was also named on Business Insider’s list, if he was prepared to succeed Biden. Moore quickly shot down the theory, declaring Biden “the best candidate for president.”
Politico published a story on Thursday reporting that Democratic voters are enthusiastic about their candidate but not Biden, calling it “another ominous sign for the president.”
Politico magazine warned in February that “Democrats may need a Plan B,” publishing an analysis laying out possible scenarios.
Douglas McKinnon, a political and communications consultant to former presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, wrote in The Hill last month that “Democrats can still write off Biden as an ‘August surprise.'”
The Boston Herald reported this week that “several Democratic consultants speculate that party officials may be quietly removing Biden from the running before the convention and seeking a younger, more dynamic leader like Michelle Obama.”
The paper questioned whether Hillary Clinton, whose name continues to appear in the news, is “clearing the way for the Democratic Party to select her as its presidential nominee.”
After journalist Piers Morgan aired footage showing Biden appearing confused at a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles, he hosted a lengthy panel discussion on his show “Piers Morgan Uncensored” about removing Biden from the top of the list of potential candidates.
The White House later condemned the clip as “misinformation” that had been selectively edited to disparage the president, but President Trump shared it on his media platform, Truth Social, commenting, “Do we really want this guy to be our president?”
Media speculation that Biden will drop out of the race has been fueled by polls showing that a majority of voters believe he is too old to be an effective president.
A New York Times/Siena College survey of voters nationwide released in March found that 73% of voters think so, including 61% of those who supported Biden in 2020.
Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker suggested this month that Democrats could address voter concerns about Biden’s age by nominating former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic nominee in 2016, instead of Harris.
“Biden’s steady decline over the past few years — his stumbling, his search for words, his occasional blank looks — has been hard to ignore,” she wrote.
She argued that Harris is a “big obstacle” for Biden because independents and disappointed Republicans might vote for Biden if she doesn’t have a chance to become president.
But Senator Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, slammed the idea of Clinton running for president or vice president as impossible.
“No, I think it’s unlikely she’ll run again,” he said.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) acknowledged that Democrats are wary of polls that show Trump is likely to beat Biden in the fall’s presidential election.
“Everybody’s watching the polls and I think people are very nervous that someone who has proven to be a demagogue could be elected president,” he said, referring to Trump.
“Maybe he’ll be a dictator for a day, but he’s shown his true colors and I think people are very worried about that,” he said. “People are looking at the polls and they’re nervous and they’re anxious, but they don’t see the alternative.”
