House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York is at the center of the storm as Democrats consider the wisdom of keeping President Biden at the top of their shortlist following last month’s disastrous performance in a debate in Atlanta.
Democratic leaders are caught between two powerful but opposing forces: a desire to solidify the support of a White House ally to hold the party together, and growing panic among party members that the president is slowing Democrats down and hurting their chances of retaking control of the House of Representatives in this year’s elections.
So far, only five House Democrats have publicly urged Biden to step aside and field another candidate to challenge former President Trump, the Republican front-runner in November’s presidential election, but that number is expected to grow in the coming days and weeks if polls continue to show public confidence in Biden’s ability to hold the presidency waning in the wake of the debate.
This convergence of circumstances has forced Jeffries to make a crucial decision, and everyone in the House Democratic caucus — and the White House — will be watching to see how their leader navigates the difficult road ahead.
“Hakim has been very thoughtful and careful,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, a leading lawmaker, told The Hill. “He’s taken his time and that’s worked in his favor this term, working with other lawmakers to get a default-avoidance deal, a budget deal, a national security and global aid package.”
“These are not small things, and they wouldn’t have happened without his very careful and thoughtful leadership,” Landsman continued. “That’s the way he approaches things, that’s the way he approaches this issue, and he takes the time to listen to people.”
In the debate’s aftermath, anxious Democrats privately expressed reservations about putting Biden at the top of the ticket but most kept quiet publicly — a sign of respect and deference to Jeffries as he considers his next steps. Some said the goal of winning the presidency should take precedence over loyalty to any individual.
“Our mission is to win the White House and stop Donald Trump from getting there,” said one lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue. “Basically, we need to have a family discussion.”
That decision will depend on many factors, including not only the eligibility concerns raised by Biden’s performance but also the impact that performance will have on donors, voters and the Democratic frontline facing tough reelection next year in battleground districts that will hold control of the House of Representatives.
“Some people might say, ‘Hey, we need to put some distance between us and him,'” another Democrat said. “For realpolitik reasons.”
Meanwhile, Jeffries has not revealed any information, raising questions about how he will handle the delicate situation.
The day after the debate, the top Democrat told reporters that Biden shouldn’t step aside, but hours later, when asked if the president was the party’s most effective communicator, Biden appeared to leave open the possibility of a transition.
“Until the president clearly lays out a path forward in terms of his vision for America at this time, I’m going to refrain from making any comment on the situation at this time other than to say I support the candidate for president,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries tried to sort out his comments over the weekend, telling MSNBC’s “The Weekend” that discussions were taking place “with various parts of the House Democratic caucus.”
“It’s ongoing and it will continue to continue,” he added.
A source familiar with the matter told The Hill that Jeffries has spoken directly with Biden since the debate and held a conference call with House Democratic leaders last week. His office did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The decision is by far the most consequential in Jeffries’ short tenure as House Democratic leader — he took office only last year — and could determine whether the party keeps the White House and controls the House of Representatives, where Jeffries is set to become the first Black speaker in U.S. history.
But this isn’t Jeffries’ first big decision of his leadership tenure, nor is it an extremely unusual one. He has already led Democrats in two historic votes to remove a speaker from power. In the first vote, he chose not to rescue former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from a conservative coup that sealed McCarthy’s fate as the first person ever to be removed as speaker. In the second vote, he joined most Democrats in protecting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a similar insurrection, ensuring that the Louisiana Republican would remain speaker.
In both cases, Jeffries treaded cautiously and held off on making a final decision, at least publicly, until he met with House Democrats in person to gauge the caucus’ mood. That’s led to speculation that Jeffries will take a similar strategy with Biden’s future as Democrats prepare to meet privately on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning, their first since Biden’s debate debacle.
Speculation about Biden’s future is a top topic in the country, and Lanzman said it would “certainly” be a focus of Tuesday’s meeting.
“I have no idea how it’s set up or how he’s going to execute it,” Landsman said of Jeffries.
But as time passes, pressure continues to mount on top Democrats from both sides of the bitter debate.
Biden, his campaign and the White House have defiantly said the president intends to continue campaigning and have dismissed the notion that the sitting president cannot serve another four years in office.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden told attendees at a Fourth of July barbecue at the White House.
And many of Biden’s congressional allies are firmly behind the decision.
“I’m not panicking right now. Thursday night was pretty awful, and I think everybody has already acknowledged that, including the president. But I don’t feel like he’s incapable of governing or anything like that,” Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said by phone last week. “He’s still the leader of the free world, and he’s fulfilling that role well.”
But at the same time, Democrats are growing increasingly vocal in calling for Biden to step down.
Three current House Democrats — Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts — have publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race and, according to The Hill’s sources, are speaking behind the scenes for many others who feel the same way.
“This is probably the worst decision the American people have had to make in my lifetime,” Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said, expressing his disgust for both Biden and Trump.
“I can’t think about the top candidate. I’m running to represent my constituents. It’s about me,” Golden continued. “Does it affect me? Absolutely. But I’ve already shown that I’m going to do what I want, and nobody voted more against Biden than I did.”
As House Democrats wait to hear from Jeffries, some are focusing on whether Biden can bounce back from his lackluster performance in the debate, which could make the Democratic leadership’s decision easier. With that in mind, some are wondering why Biden has made so few public appearances since the debate.
“Now is the time for Biden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he can prosecute this case against a Trump administration that is unfit to be president and that has upended the democracy in our lives,” Lanzman said.
Asked if he had seen it since the debate, the Ohio Democrat said, “No.”
“Did anyone try?” he asked. “Forty million people watched the debate. This is more than a rally or an interview.”
