Members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with Biden on Monday to solidify their support for him amid growing calls from white Democrats for him to drop his 2024 reelection bid.
A source familiar with the matter told The Hill that the caucus’ chairman, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nevada), extended the invitation to Biden.
Horsford voiced his support for the president in a statement earlier in the day, becoming the latest CBC member to do so.
A Biden campaign spokesman said the call was to “discuss the importance of the 2024 election and our shared determination to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Monday’s meeting followed a conference call Sunday between Democratic committee leaders, in which four senior DemocratsBiden was asked to withdraw from the race.Five Democratic lawmakers have publicly called on Biden to halt his campaigning, citing his poor performance in the debates as a cause for concern.
Ahead of Monday’s call, Rep. James Clyburn of Colorado said he wasn’t even interested in debating Biden’s qualifications and was instead prepared to discuss the Republican Party’s “Project 2025.”
“That’s all I’m going to say,” Clyburn said.
Clyburn also said he would support Vice President Harris if Biden chooses to step down.
Support from Black leaders is essential for Biden to maintain the Black-led coalition that sent him to the White House in 2020. But recent polls show that coalition is fracturing.
A June Ipsos poll found that 42% of black Americans said they would definitely vote for Biden, compared with 4% who said they would vote for former President Trump — significantly lower than the 87% support Biden received among black people in 2020, according to CNN exit polls.
But Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) said no group is more loyal to the Democratic Party, or to the current president, than the black community. He said he expects Biden will ask CBC members to help with his campaign, and Thompson said he would be happy to oblige.
“Many of us have already spoken for him around the country,” Thompson said. “We may be asked to be campaign surrogates, but I don’t think that’s an issue. And, of course, we’ll be able to defend his policies if the opportunity arises.”
Meanwhile, some experts on black voters warn that it’s not Biden’s health that’s causing Democrats to lose support among black voters in November’s presidential election, but infighting within the Democratic Party.
Still, concerns about Biden’s health are foremost in the minds of some CBC members, who remain convinced he is the only choice come November.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) acknowledged that Biden’s physical health is not as good as it once was. “But he’s strong mentally,” Johnson quickly added. “And he’s made some great decisions over the last three and a half years.”
