Democratic anxieties and divisions about President Biden’s future atop the ticket in November were front and center Tuesday as House and Senate Democrats held separate meetings centered on the viability of his candidacy.
Biden’s disastrous performance in a debate against former President Trump last month set off widespread alarm among Democrats. And while Democratic leaders in both chambers reiterated their support for the president Monday, opposition to his bid seems to be swelling among the rank and file.
Tuesday’s meetings could prove to be pivotal to Biden’s future in the party.
Here’s how the day went:
Rep. Mikie Sherrill calls for Biden to withdraw
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) on Tuesday called on President Biden to step aside in the 2024 presidential race, becoming the seventh House Democrat to publicly urge the incumbent to withdraw following his debate performance against former President Trump last month.
Sherrill, in a statement Tuesday, said she believes the risk of Trump winning reelection in November is too high to take a chance on a candidate who is facing mounting concerns about his viability.
“I know that President Biden and his team have been true public servants and have put the country and the best interests of democracy first and foremost in their considerations,” Sherrill said. “And because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.”
— Miranda Nazzaro
NJ Rep. Andy Kim raises his concerns
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who is running for Senate, said he has “concerns” about President Biden’s ability to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in this presidential election.
“I do have concerns,” Kim told the New Jersey Globe. “If [Biden’s team] want to rebut some of what people are concerned about, that’s on them. But dismissing it would not be right.”
“People have concerns — I mean, this is the presidency of the United States,” he continued. “So I think it’s very important to be upfront and honest about where things are.”
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— Lauren Irwin
Jill Biden argues women voters will keep Biden in White House
First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday touted President Biden’s support from women voters and hammered former President Trump over abortion as the incumbent faces amid concerns about the viability of his 2024 campaign.
“Here’s the thing about men like Donald Trump. They underestimate the power of women because they don’t understand it. When our lives are on the line, when our country and its freedoms hang in the balance, women are immovable and unstoppable,” the first lady said on a call with reporters.
“We will decide our future. Women put Joe Biden in the White House, and women are going to keep him there,” Jill Biden said.
– Julia Mueller
Baldwin says Senate Dem meeting was ‘constructive conversation’
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) labeled Senate Democrats’ meeting as a “constructive conversation,” but declined to go any further amid discussions about President Biden’s future on the ticket.
“I would describe it as a constructive conversation,” said Baldwin, one of the foremost purple-state incumbents up for reelection. “And we’re focused on beating [former President Trump].”
— Al Weaver
Senate Dems mum on Biden
Senate Democrats leaving Tuesday party lunch wanted no part in sharing details on their discussions about the future of President Biden atop the party’s ticket.
When asked if she had thoughts on the meeting, Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) said flatly: “I don’t.”
Others had similar reactions.
“I’m not going to comment,” said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
— Al Weaver
White House touts support CBC, CHC has for Biden
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre touted the support that the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus has for Biden amid questions in the daily White House briefing about how worried he is about lawmaker support.
“We respect members of Congress, we respect their view. But I also want to say there is a long… list of congressional members who have been very clear in support of the president,” she said, calling out the two caucuses.
Jean-Pierre added “absolutely” when asked if he has the party united behind him and also called out support from Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
And, she said Biden plans to continue to engage with lawmakers in the coming days.
— Alex Gangitano
Democrats back Biden in lopsided internal debate
Democrats emerging from a closed-door meeting Tuesday to discuss President Biden’s political future offered support for their party leader a day after the White House’s full-court press to beat back critics within his party, even as some detractors pushed for a reset.
In a meeting that ran for roughly two hours, the debate was lopsided in favor of keeping the president on the ticket — a dynamic suggesting that Biden has, at least for now, prevented the slow seep of individual detractors from becoming a flood.
“I feel we’ve hit a turning point,” Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who is backing Biden, said after the meeting. “As the President said, I think yesterday, it’s been 10, 11 days or so since the debate and it’s time to move on. And I think that’s where many more members are today than they were last week.”
— Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell
Biden set to meet with Democratic mayors
Biden will meet virtually with Democratic mayors on Tuesday night, a source familiar told The Hill.
The call with mayors is part of the outreach Biden has been doing with Democrats since his dismal debate performance two weeks ago.
Last week, he met with Democratic governors at the White House. He also made the rounds on Monday to reassure Democrats, holding a call with the Congressional Black Caucus and joining a meeting among donors.
— Alex Gangitano
Polls show uphill climb for Biden
A pair of polls released Tuesday morning showed Biden faces an uphill climb after the debate.
An Emerson College poll showed Biden trailing former President Trump by 3 percentage points nationally, 46-43. The poll also found Trump leading a handful of other potential Democratic candidates, including Vice President Harris.
An AARP poll of Wisconsin voters found Biden trailing Trump by 6 percentage points, 44-38, when third party candidates were included. Trump leads 50-45 in a head-to-head matchup. Biden’s path to the White House would be exceedingly narrow if he can’t win Wisconsin.
In a potential sign that Biden’s problems don’t extend down the ballot, the AARP poll found Sen. Tammy Baldwin leading GOP candidate Eric Hovde by 5 percentage points, 50-45.
— Brett Samuels
Lynch: Democrats have ‘hit a turning point’
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) says the party has “hit a turning point.”
“As the president said yesterday, it’s been 10, 11 days or so since the debate and it’s time to move on. And I think that’s where many more members are today than they were last week,” he said.
— Aris Folley
Correa: ‘Are you better to choose than the voters?’
Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) said Democrats are “waking up to the fact that we’re going to have a very tough election” no matter the nominee.
“This is going to be a dogfight in November,” he said.
“The candidate that the voters chose is who we have as a candidate. Not them, not big donors. It’s the voters that chose,” he added. “Are you better to choose than the voters? No. The voters chose. Let’s move forward, run a good campaign and win in November.”
— Aris Folley
Bera confident Dems can win House with Biden atop ticket
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) said he’s confident Democrats can win back the House even if Biden remains at the top of the ticket.
“I’m more confident about it today than I was before this day,” he said.
“Because I think if folks think Donald Trump’s gonna win this, there are plenty of folks that are scared the hell out of that scenario. And the House is a firewall.”
Bera also said Biden “is the nominee and we’ve got to get behind him.”
Asked if he thinks House Democrats are divided on the issue, Bera responded, “I think folks see that he’s the nominee until he’s not the nominee and if that’s the case, we’ve got to get behind him.”
— Aris Folley
Clyburn: ‘We’re riding with Biden’
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), who is widely credited with saving Biden’s nomination through his endorsement in 2020, put himself squarely behind Biden.
“We’re riding with Biden,” he told reporters.
— Mychael Schnell
Hank Johnson: House Dems will decide on course of action ‘in the very near future’
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said House Democrats will decide on a course of action “in the very near future,” and “will move forward.”
Speaking outside the Democrats meeting Monday, Johnson told reporters, “This was a great meeting. Members got a chance to express themselves. All the comments were well-received.”
Asked how much disunity there was in the room, Johnson responded, “I don’t think there was any disunity in the room whatsoever. There was differences of opinion expressed, but we’re all unified in the fact that we cannot allow Donald Trump to regain the White House.”
— Mike Lillis
Nadler: Biden ‘is our nominee and we’ve got to elect him’
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), coming out of the meeting, said Biden “is our nominee and we’ve got to elect him.”
Nadler over the weekend was one of four senior Democrats to call for Biden to withdraw from the race during a private call.
But earlier Monday he told reporters that, “I will simply say that the president yesterday made it very clear, he’s running. I’m fully supportive of him. I plan to campaign for him, and it’s essential that he wins.”
— Mike Lillis
More expressions of support for Biden
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the former House majority leader, said he “absolutely” supports Biden.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) says she spoke in the meeting and backs Biden. “I do.”
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) says he supports Biden. “Oh yeah. Absolutely.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said, “I have clearly expressed that Joe Biden is, should be, and will be our nominee.”
— Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell
CHC members reiterate support for Biden
Reps. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), both members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, reiterated their support for Biden.
“Biden’s the man the voters chose to be our nominee,” Correa told reporters.
Espaillat gave the same message: “We’re staying with Papa.”
— Mike Lillis
Escobar ‘absolutely’ standing behind Biden
Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), a member of Democratic leadership, says she is supporting Biden.
“Yes, absolutely,” she said.
— Mike Lillis
Neal calls Dem meeting a ‘listening session’
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) described House Democrats’ meeting as a listening session and said lawmakers were having “preliminary conversations.”
Neal declined to offer specific details on what was being said in the room but told reporters that, “We’re probably only three or four speakers in, but the leadership made their point about this being a family and confining the conversation to the room.”
“That drew strongest applause line,” he added.
— Mychael Schnell
Moulton: ‘I shared my position and how I came to it’
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who has publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race, said he spoke in the meeting and “shared my position and how I came to it.”
“I shared the position that you all know well. That, and I explained my reasons. I think everyone, everyone was listening very carefully to a variety of positions in the room. And that’s exactly the kind of debate and discussion that we should be having as a party. This is what democracy is about. Right?”
— Mychael Schnell
Doggett speaks in Dem meeting
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), the first sitting Democrat to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the race, told reporters that he spoke inside the meeting.
“Everybody can speak for themselves, but my position has not changed,” he said.
— Mike Lillis
Nadler throws his support behind Biden
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), one of four senior House Democrats who said during a private phone call on Sunday that Biden should step aside, told reporters on Monday that he supports the president.
“I will simply say that the president yesterday made it very clear, he’s running. I’m fully supportive of him. I plan to campaign for him, and it’s essential that he wins,” Nadler said.
Nadler, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, said multiple times he would not comment on the private Sunday call.
Asked if he still had concerns about Biden, Nadler paused and responded, “Whether I have concerns or not is beside the point. He is he’s going to be our nominee and we will have to support him.”
Nadler said he is concerned Biden could have another bad debate, but is not concerned that he could have a condition impairing his ability or judgment.
— Mychael Schnell
NRCC aides: ‘Is Joe Biden fit for office?’
Aides from the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm, are outside the DNC for the Democratic Caucus’s weekly meeting.
They’re holding signs that read “Is Joe Biden fit for office?”
— Mychael Schnell
Dems gather to discuss Biden
Good morning from outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters, where House Democrats are huddling as a group for the first time since last month’s presidential debate
The Caucus is bitterly split over whether or not Biden should remain at the top of the ticket after his shaky performance. Members are expected to discuss the question during today’s meeting.
— Mychael Schnell
Democrats in turmoil over Biden’s future
The debate over President Biden’s future has put Democrats in turmoil, with some urging the party to stick with the 81-year-old incumbent while a growing number of officeholders call for him to step down.
The battle is creating divides in both the House and the Senate, though no Democratic senators so far have called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. But members of both caucuses have raised serious reservations about whether he should remain at the top of the ticket.
“I have a lot of concerns and, I’m not the only one. I’ve been hearing a lot of concerns from folks back home in Minnesota. I think right now our party is having a big robust discussion about what comes next,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said.
But Smith acknowledged an essential fact that’s not lost on many of her Senate Democratic colleagues: The decision about whether to stay in the race rests entirely with Biden, and trying to force his hand may be counterproductive.
— Alexander Bolton
Democratic leaders rally around Biden as discontent grows within ranks
Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are rallying around President Biden as scores of lawmakers in the party privately — and publicly — question his viability at the top of the ticket after his disastrous debate performance in Atlanta last month.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday both amplified previous statements of support for Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee, despite the backlash from the debate.
“I made clear the day after the debate publicly that I support President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol. “My position has not changed.”
At the same time, however, opposition to Biden’s bid for reelection is swelling within the Democratic ranks.
— Mychael Schnell and Mike Lillis