More than 1,400 Black women and their supporters showed their support for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. New Letter It was released on Thursday.
The women highlighted the fact that millions of Americans voted for Biden and Harris in the primaries and said attempts to change the lineup “ignore and circumvent the will of millions of voters who participated in the democratic process.”
“To suggest that a candidate who wins a primary should simply step down because it is currently difficult to win is disrespectful to voters, unfair and undemocratic,” the women wrote.
The letter was signed by several prominent black figures, including Carol Moseley Braun, the first African-American woman elected to the Senate, Keisha Lance Bottoms, former senior advisor to President Biden and former Mayor of Atlanta, and Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation and chair of the Black Women’s Roundtable.
The letter comes after Democrats have been calling for weeks for Biden to remove himself from the running following his disastrous debate performance. This week, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined the call, and reports emerged that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were also pressuring Biden to remove himself from the running.
Some Senate Democrats have also expressed concerns about the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) plans to certify Biden’s nomination for president ahead of the party’s convention in August.
But the signatories of the letter argue that using Biden’s debate performance to justify calls for his resignation is unfair when compared to his record of serving the American people.
“The Biden-Harris Administration operates on a strong track record of historic legislative achievements and a commitment to completing policies that improve the lives of all Americans and protect the rights, freedoms, and democracy of our people,” the letter said. “Furthermore, we believe it would be unfair and confusing to judge President Biden for his poor performance in a 90-minute debate with a habitual liar who seeks to destroy our democracy and become a dictator.”
“History is a great teacher and has taught us that a house divided against itself fails,” the women wrote Thursday. “As Black women, we are especially aware of the very real threat that a second term for Trump poses to our country and especially our communities. But now is not the time to succumb to fear. Rather, we must unite in our values and our deep belief in our ability to effectively engage voters and win the 2024 election across the board.”
Biden is hoping to win back support from black voters as demographic changes have eroded his approval rating: A new poll released this week found that 64% of black women would vote for Biden if the election were held today, but strategists warn that continued infighting within the party will continue to erode that approval rating.
Biden also sought to address some of Black voters’ most pressing concerns in an interview with BET this week.
“History also shows that Black women are the Democratic Party’s most reliable voting bloc. When Black women vote in record numbers, Democrats win the White House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, gubernatorial, state legislative, mayoral races, and other local elections across the country. When Black women lead, organize, mobilize, encourage and influence their families, spouses, partners, nieces, nephews and neighbors to vote for themselves, the Democratic Party wins,” the letter continued.
“Now is the time for Democrats to stop attacking their presidential candidate for which ‘We the People’ voted and focus on defeating the real threat to our democracy: Donald Trump,” the letter concludes.
