
According to three Democrats familiar with the discussions, President Joe Biden‘s political allies are actively looking for ways to publicly show he still has support from a significant portion of the Democratic Party base, despite a barrage of new calls from elected officials to withdraw his re-election bid.
The latest initiative, according to the Democrats, aims to refocus the pressure campaign against Biden on party insiders by capitalizing on resentment and angst among those voters who feel disenfranchised by efforts to discredit the candidate they supported.
Supporter demonstrations can often be seen as natural, originating from groups and interests worried that party division is impeding their chances of unseating Donald Trump. They display grassroots support for the president and include progressive activists, Black clergymen, and leaders of the Latino community.
However, the three Democrats who are aware of the conversations say that the Biden team is also attempting to capitalize on that and incorporate it into its own defense of the president.
One prominent Biden surrogate who was concentrated on winning over Black votes declared, “Democratic legislators are no better than Republicans if the Democratic elites force Biden out and deny the right to vote to 14 million people, including myself.” “The so-called preserving democracy argument is lost for Democrats, and it will come across as racist.”
Encouraging Black and Latino voters in battleground states and the core of the Democratic Party base is a kind of warning shot to big-ticket donors, party leaders in D.C., and candidates running for office in November who will need those voters to win both their own elections and to defeat Trump, no matter who their opponent is. It happens at a time when Biden’s chances of saving a campaign that is losing favor with legislators and donors are dwindling.
Leaders of groups encouraging Black and Latino voters in battleground states made that caution clear to some of the biggest Democratic funders during a call with Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, which was arranged by the Biden campaign.
According to a caller, Melissa Morales, the founder of the organization Somos Votantes, stated, “Although we have been preaching nonstop about the need to preserve democracy, within our own party right now, party officials, funders, and the media are taking control of democracy instead of voters and the people’s will.”
Should Biden withdraw from the 2024 contest, Harris might stand to gain the most from that action. She is the first in line to perhaps inherit the campaign’s enormous war chest because she is his running mate. Being the first Black woman to be a major-party contender, she would be historic if she were to lead the Democratic ticket.
The attempt to increase grassroots support is the most recent development in a battle within the Democratic Party that has intensified dramatically in the three weeks following Biden’s unsatisfactory performance in the debate. To date, he has rejected mounting calls to end his campaign and is furious with his longtime allies for pressuring him to do so.
According to a Democratic official active in legislative elections, Biden’s attempt to sway voters against his opponents is a reflection of his limited options and power.
The official remarked, “That’s what you say when you’re hanging on for dear life.”
Republicans are capitalizing on the notion that Democrats are attempting to thwart the will of the people by arguing that defending democracy is a major issue in the 2024 election and that Trump poses a threat to the American democratic process.
It is not acceptable for a group of well-educated Democrats to abruptly decide to change their ways simply because they notice negative trends in the polls. That’s weakening democracy, Trump supporter Ric Grenell said to reporters on Monday at a roundtable discussion with Bloomberg News outside the Republican National Convention.
Grenell continued, “He was chosen as the Democratic nominee by every state.” “Why is it so easy for us to discuss undermining the democratic process?”
People close to the president have stated that the Biden aides’ plan aims to expand on what they considered a successful trial run at a rally in Detroit a little more than a week ago. A powerful welcome to Biden was given by a Black pastor during the event, capping a speaking program that featured progressive allies and local supporters in the crucial swing state.
It’s an effort to provide substance to the claim that party insiders and regular voters, particularly the Democratic base, are at odds, which Biden started making a week after his dismal debate performance.
According to a top Biden staffer, “The perception that people are attempting to remove the president from the ballot they cast has angered some people.”
However, there wasn’t much of an option for many voters. Leading Democrats declined to run this year, and the presidential primary schedule was designed with the incumbent in mind. With the exception of long-shot contender Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., Democratic primary voters often had just Biden to select.
Furthermore, once a large number of voters had cast their ballots, Biden’s performance in the debate last month raised more questions about his age.
Voters who are concerned about Biden’s capacity to execute his campaign and serve an additional four years in office are reaching out to certain Democratic contenders.
Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, told NBC News that many of the people mentioning Biden “express real concerns about him going forward” when he is campaigning in his state, which is a crucial 2024 battlefield.
“And that’s a concern that I have to respond to or pay attention to,” stated Casey, a close ally of Biden’s running for reelection.
People on the phone said that Harris really exuded confidence during the Friday call with Democratic donors.
According to those in the conversation, Hillary declared, “We are going to win this election.”
In fact, even though some of Biden’s family members and advisors are debating how to announce his intention to withdraw from the race—the president has hinted in private that he would be willing to do so if there was no chance of winning—his campaign is making preparations for him as though he is going to run.
In response to Trump’s address receiving the GOP nomination on Friday, Biden stated in a written statement that he was looking forward to “getting back on the campaign trail next week.”
While the president recuperated from COVID-19 at his Delaware beach house on Saturday, about a dozen Democratic senators added their names to the growing list of public figures urging Biden to halt his campaign. Additionally, a significant portion of the president’s advisors kept tabs on his political well-being.
Many people close to Biden believe that Democrats who are concerned about winning their own races this fall are prioritizing their personal interests over the party’s, but they haven’t given it enough thought as to what may happen if there was a vacancy at the top of the ticket. In a document made public on Friday morning, a senior Biden campaign staffer made reference to this.
Dan Kanninen, director of battleground states, wrote, “There are no plans for a backup nominee; he is the presumed nominee.” It’s long overdue that we put an end to our arguments. When we battle, Donald Trump is the only one who emerges victorious.”
In his memo, Kanninen contended that voters the campaign was aiming for in the past few weeks were still inclined to back him, even in light of the public focus on Democratic infighting.
During a call with campaign staff on Friday, Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon advised them to ignore rumors about the candidate’s future and concentrate on their work.
“The president is receiving messages from individuals telling him to continue running in this race and to keep battling because we need you. A source familiar with the conversation added, “Though those voices will never be as loud as those on TV, keep in mind that not everyone in our nation watches cable news.”
In response to calls to withdraw from the 2020 presidential race after suffering humiliating losses in the first two contests, Biden contended that Black people, in particular, had not yet been given enough credit. His resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, which was enhanced by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who is still supporting Biden, supported this line of reasoning.
Currently, Biden’s campaign and other backers contend that removing the president from the ticket would be a betrayal to the people who cast their ballots in favor of him during the 2024 primary.
In an interview broadcast on MSNBC on Saturday, Clyburn stated that while he has been on the phone with fundraisers and voters, he hasn’t spoken with Biden since their early-week meeting in Nevada.
According to what he’s been told, 85% of those who have been in touch with him support the president.