The governor of Biden’s longtime home state led several other Democratic state officials in championing the party’s support for the incumbent president after his debate performance caused a stir in political circles.
Delaware Gov. John Carney told Fox News Digital that he still supports his state’s voters’ claim to keep him in the White House.
“I supported President Biden’s reelection campaign last year and will continue to support him,” Carney said.
“We need to make sure President Biden can finish the job he started.”
Fox News Digital reached out to all of Biden’s Democratic governors and several state-level Democrats for their comments after the debate, in response to attacks by liberals and his media allies.
Economy, border, abortion divide Biden’s hometown; Scranton native reflects on Biden’s time in office
Delaware Democratic Gov. John Carney at the Joseph R. Biden III National Guard and Reserve Center in New Castle, Delaware, on Jan. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Several governors did not respond to requests for comment, but those who did suggested Biden remains their supporter.
In West Virginia, state Democratic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin said Biden was the winner and Trump was a criminal.
“As Democrats, we believe in the democratic process, and President Biden is our nominee because of his track record of winning presidential primaries,” he said.
“Donald Trump is a convicted felon who paid hush money to cover up his affair with a porn actress and helped incite an insurrection as part of a conspiracy to overturn the results of a free and fair election,” said Pushkin, who is also a state representative.
Pushkin added that rather than arguing that Democrats should replace Biden, Republicans should look inward.
“If Republican leaders have any integrity and care about our democracy, they should be looking for an alternative to Donald Trump who is on their shortlist,” he said.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, state Sen. Sharif Street, who serves as the state Democratic Party chairman, said he continues to proudly support Biden.
Biden claims he sees the economy through the eyes of Scranton, not Wall Street
“He’s created more jobs this year than Donald Trump created in his entire tenure,” said Mr. Street, whose father, John Street, was Philadelphia’s popular mayor.
“President Biden has served a tremendous term, including appointing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and protecting a woman’s right to choose. Additionally, he has invested in our communities by passing the CHIPS Act and infrastructure bill,” Street said.
Street added that Trump is a “convicted criminal” and the debates had shown him to be a “compulsive liar” and a “complete madman”.
“[He’s] “This is bad for America,” Street said. “I’m proud to support President Biden and look forward to the next four years.”
The office of Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, noted that Shapiro had appeared on CNN shortly before as a rep for the Biden campaign.
The governor of a state that was narrowly won by Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020 has been nonchalant about supporting his party’s candidate.
“The bottom line is this: Joe Biden had a terrible debate, but Donald Trump was a bad president,” Shapiro said.
“I think what the American people have to decide now is: Do we want to go back to the dark ages that Donald Trump promised, with less freedom, with the middle class under strain and less opportunity in our communities?”
Biden’s hometown speaks out about the Biden economy
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, asked in a recent Fox News interview whether Biden should remain the nominee, agreed with Shapiro.
“[He] “Last night was awful,” he said. “I hate these debates. I’ve been to dozens of them. They’re a performance,” Walz told “America’s Newsroom.”
“I’ve served under President Trump and President Biden, and there couldn’t be a bigger difference in terms of being able to provide what the governor needs.”
Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, said “last night was not a good night” for Biden, but added that Trump “spewed wild conspiracy theories from the debate stage.”
“President Biden has a vision of an America where women have the right to choose what to do with their bodies, where we tackle rising housing costs, where all families can afford child care, and where we show one another compassion and love instead of hate,” Polis said.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper did not respond to a request for comment but later praised and introduced Biden at a campaign rally in Raleigh on Friday afternoon.
When asked for comment on whether they would continue to support Biden, a North Carolina Democratic Party official said simply, “Yes.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office instructed Fox News Digital to air post-debate remarks in which the Democratic senator vowed to “never turn his back on President Biden.”
“I don’t think there’s any Democrat in my party that would do that, and we support him, especially after tonight,” he said.
Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told Fox News Digital she was proud to continue to support him.
“I have never shied away from standing up to Washington when the going is bad for Kansas, but the President’s track record of delivering bipartisan results speaks for itself,” she said.
“His efforts will enable Kansas to continue to attract new manufacturing, rebuild our infrastructure and protect our fundamental freedoms. He is an honorable man with strong character,” she said.
