Biden remains in the race for US presidential election: campaign manager

Joe Biden (Photo: Reuters)

Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillion acknowledged that support for the president is waning, but stressed that he absolutely remains in the race and that the campaign sees multiple opportunities to defeat Trump.

“We still have a lot of work to do to convince the American people that he’s old, but he can win,” she told MSNBC’s Morning Joe show. But she said voters who are concerned about Biden’s fitness to lead are not going to switch to voting for Trump. They have questions, but they’re going to stick with Joe Biden,” she said.

At the same time, the Democratic National Committee’s regulatory arm is expected to meet Friday to continue plans for a virtual slate of nominees by Aug. 7 to nominate the presidential candidate, ahead of the party’s convention later that month in Chicago.

President Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with caucus members and colleagues in the House and Senate and Democratic leaders, rather than fighting leaks and press reports, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Biden’s best friend in Congress and his campaign manager, told The Associated Press.

These are pivotal days for the president and his party: Trump has wrapped up a spirited Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. And Democrats, race-time, are weighing the extraordinary possibility that Biden will step aside for a new presidential nomination before their own convention.

Amid all the turmoil, a majority of Democrats think Vice President Kamala Harris herself would make a good president.

A poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do well in the top job. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t think she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.

Democrats at the highest levels have urged Biden to reconsider his campaign. Former President Barack Obama expressed his concerns to allies, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately told Biden that the party could lose control of the House of Representatives if he does not withdraw from the 2024 race.

On Thursday night, Montana Sen. Jon Tester became the second Democrat in the chamber and now one of nearly two dozen senators in Congress calling on him to resign, saying Biden should not seek re-election for another term.

Campaign officials said Biden was even more determined to stay in the race, even as calls for him to leave grew. And senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about Biden’s withdrawal.

On Friday, Biden received a major endorsement from the political wing of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. CHC BOLD PAC said the Biden administration has shown an unwavering commitment to Latinos and that the stakes in this election could not be higher. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have done a great job of advocating for the Latino community, the group said.

But there is also time to rethink. Biden has heard that the campaign is struggling to raise money, and key Democrats see an opportunity now that he’s been off the campaign trail for a few days to drum up momentum for his departure. Some in his Cabinet have resigned themselves to the likelihood of a November loss.

The reporting in this story is based in part on information from nearly a dozen people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive, private matters. The Washington Post first reported Obama’s involvement.

Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week during a trip to Las Vegas and is experiencing mild symptoms, including general malaise from the infection, the White House said.

The president himself, in a radio interview recorded shortly before he tested positive, dismissed the idea that it was too late for him to recover politically, telling Univision’s Luis Sandoval that many people aren’t focused on the November election until September.

All the talk about who’s in charge and where and how is really… You know, so far, everything between Trump and I has been basically on the same page, he said in an excerpt of the interview released Thursday.

But in Congress, Democratic lawmakers have begun privately discussing whether to back Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker said Biden’s own advisers have been unable to reach a unanimous recommendation on what he should do. More in Congress are considering joining the others who have called for Biden to withdraw. Some favor an open process for choosing a new presidential nominee.

It’s clear the problem isn’t going away, said Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, the other Senate Democrat who has publicly said Biden should drop out of the race. Welch said the current state of partisan fear, with panic among lawmakers and a rebellion from donors, was unsustainable.

However, influential Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are expressing deep concern.

Sure, many want Biden to stay in the race. But among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate another candidate, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That undermines Biden’s post-debate claim that mainstream Democrats still support him.

First print: July 20, 2024 | 02:25 AM IST