Democratic governors issued messages of support for President Joe Biden amid growing concerns that his debate performance may keep him from remaining the party’s presidential nominee.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) were among the governors who issued messages of support for Biden after holding virtual and in-person calls with him and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Other Democratic governors on the call were Governor Wes Moore (D-Md.), Governor Maura Healey (D-Mass.), Governor Ned Lamont (D-Conn.) and Governor Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.). Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was also on the call, according to the release. deadline.
“Three words from the President tonight: He is fully committed,” Newsom wrote. post About X. “Me too.”
Newsom added that Biden has supported Democratic governors and now “it’s time to support him.”
The three words I heard from the President tonight were, “He’s all in,” and so am I.@JoeBidenhas supported us. Now it is his turn to support us.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 4, 2024
Whitmer also wrote in her X post that Biden was her party’s “nominee” and was “running to win.”
“@JoeBiden is our nominee,” Whitmer said. I have written“He’s in it to win and I’m rooting for him.”
.@JoeBiden is our candidate. He is fighting to win and I support him.
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 4, 2024
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (Democrat) also issued a statement after the meeting, saying they discussed “what it takes to win.”
“I had a great conversation with the president and we discussed what it will take to win,” Cooper said in a statement. “Donald Trump is an existential threat to our democracy and everyone in the room agreed that defeating him is essential. President Biden said he will definitely seek re-election. He is our candidate and we will be running North Carolina for him.”
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 4, 2024
In a statement, Moore acknowledged that the Democratic governors had been “honest” about the “feedback” and “concerns” they received following Biden’s performance in the presidential debate.
“We have been honest about the feedback we have received and the concerns we have heard from people,” Moore said in a statement. Guardian“We said we support him… We support him… There’s no denying the results we’ve seen under this administration… We’re hopeful for the future.”
The Democratic governors’ endorsement of Biden came after Biden’s lackluster performance in the presidential debates, sending many Democratic Party members, donors, voters and media into a panic and questioning whether Biden can serve another term as president.
Biden appeared disoriented and frozen throughout the debate, and appeared to have difficulty following through on his prepared closing statements.
While Democrats such as former President Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) continue to support Biden, other Democrats such as Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona) have publicly suggested Biden drop out of the presidential race.
That same day, Biden and Harris held a campaign call to ease tensions within the party, pledging to stay in the presidential race “to the very end.”
