Congressional Democrats are uniting, whether they’re comfortable with it or not, around the idea of keeping Biden as a possible presidential candidate in 2024, despite calls for him to step down after his dismal performance in last month’s debate.
During a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus on Tuesday, members overwhelmingly voiced their support for the president, with some praising his leadership and others simply acknowledging the reality that primary voters had already selected him as the inevitable nominee.
At private luncheons across the Capitol, Senate Democrats expressed concern about Biden’s chances of beating former President Trump, but no one called for him to be replaced as the nominee.
And at least one Democrat who had previously opposed Biden’s candidacy, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, reversed course on Tuesday.
That combination suggests that nearly two weeks after Biden’s shaky debate performance, the tides may be starting to turn for the president, who has vehemently rejected any suggestion he’s dropped out of the race because of questions about his age, health and whether he can beat Trump in November’s election.
“It’s certainly a better day than any president has had,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.). “It’s a move in the right direction.”
“I feel like we’ve reached a tipping point,” Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) agreed. “We’re about 10, 11 days into the debate, and it’s time to move on. And I think more of us are at that point today than we were last week.”
Biden also secured the backing of key veteran senators and a large base of support in Congress. Former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he would “absolutely” continue to support the president. Numerous members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus said they would back Biden through November. And Rep. James Clyburn (D-Calif.), who is keeping open the possibility of Harris running for vice president, told reporters that Biden has broad support within his caucus.
“We support Biden,” Clyburn said after the House meeting.
But Biden may not be safe, with his performance in last month’s debate raising immediate alarm that the president may not be able to tout his strong legislative record on the campaign trail.
Rep. Mickey Sherrill (D-N.J.) issued a statement hours after Democrats’ morning meeting saying she had no confidence at all in Biden’s ability to beat Trump at the polls.
“The risk is too great and the threat is too real for us to continue to remain silent,” she said in a statement.
She is the seventh House Democrat to publicly oppose putting Biden at the top of the shortlist, joining Reps. Mike Quigley of Illinois, Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who all voiced their opposition in their caucuses.
No senator has called for Biden to step down in the Senate, but Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a member of the Democratic leadership, said Monday that “we need to see more strong, energetic candidates on the campaign trail in the near future.” [Biden] To convince voters that he is the right man for the job.”
A person familiar with the Senate discussions also said a “vast majority” of senators who spoke at the conference expressed serious concerns about whether Biden could beat Trump, given his dismal performance in the debate.
But they remain a minority among Democrats overall. And the clearest sign that the tide is tipping in Biden’s favor, at least for now, was when Nadler, who expressed doubts about keeping Biden at the top of the list in a call with Democratic leaders on Sunday, reversed course and endorsed the president on Tuesday.
“It doesn’t matter whether I have concerns,” Nadler told reporters before the meeting. “He’s going to be our nominee and we should all support him.”
The shift came days after Biden and his team moved aggressively to stifle internal dissent and prevent a slow trickle of Democratic critics from becoming an uncontrollable flood.
On Monday, Biden sent an impassioned letter to Democratic lawmakers vowing to stay in the race and urging them to “cease” calls for him to withdraw. He also called MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to provoke Democratic critics into trying to oust him at the convention. And hours later, he spoke on a call with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, arguably his largest base of support, pledging to prioritize some of the issues they support in a second term.
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), a Biden ally, said she was encouraged by the “focus, energy and vigor” shown in the stepped-up outreach efforts.
“The president is out fighting and he’s fighting back vigorously,” he said. “And that’s exactly what we need to do, because the mistake that was made in 2016 was to campaign low-key and to run like we weren’t going to lose. And that’s why we lost.”
Biden also won the support of prominent liberal lawmakers.
“I spoke with the president over the weekend. I spoke to him at length. He’s been very clear then and since then that he is in this campaign,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters Monday night.
“This matter has been resolved.”
Christy Setzer, a Democratic strategist and veteran campaigner, said Biden’s strategic and so far largely successful attempts to garner support in Congress have left his critics with few options.
“President Biden demonstrated this week that he’s not only a master negotiator, but that he knows Congress better than anyone,” Setzer said. “By locking down the simultaneous support of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Squad, Biden’s critics have little room to turn.”
Basil Smickle, a Democratic strategist who served as executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, put it more bluntly: “The naked politics and Biden-esque defiance of critics got everyone to comply.”
“Throughout his career, he has gained enough friends that he can count on for support,” he added.
But still, holes remain in that support.
In addition to the seven House Democrats who have already publicly called for Biden to step down, many others have privately expressed similar views but plan to wait until post-debate poll results before making official announcements.
These concerns are being fuelled by non-partisan Cook Political ReportOn Tuesday, five states and one district swung to Republicans in the presidential election.
In another sign of potential further headwinds for Biden, Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), co-chair of House Democrats’ messaging committee, issued a statement shortly after the morning meeting expressing concern about the president’s pursuit of a second term.
“[S]”Since the debate, I have met with fellow Biden supporters in Massachusetts who are genuinely concerned about whether the president can beat Donald Trump, and I share those concerns,” she wrote. “President Biden has made it clear that he believes he is the best candidate to win this election, but nothing that has happened over the past 12 days suggests that voters think the same way.”
Rep. Andy Kim (NJ, DN), who is running for Senate in the Garden State, told the New Jersey Globe that he has “concerns” about Biden’s health and that there is still plenty of time for Democrats to “pivot” if necessary.
Even Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, seemed to leave open the possibility of Biden being replaced. Asked whether Biden had done enough to assuage Democratic concerns, Aguilar, the No. 3 House Democrat, suggested Biden had told voters the debate was simply a bad night and that he still had a lot of work to do to show voters he still had the energy and acumen to lead the country for another four years.
“My answer is, well, let’s wait and see,” Aguilar said.
“Watch the press conferences. Watch the campaign stops. Watch all of these things, because all of these things are necessary,” he added. “The president knows he didn’t perform well in the debates. He knows he needs to get out there and work in people’s districts, in their communities, in these tough states. He knows that. And that’s what we’re going to see in the coming days and weeks.”
Caroline Vakil, Alice Foley and Alexander Bolton contributed to this report.
