Several Democratic governors have pledged their support to President Joe Biden's reelection bid despite his horrible debate performance last week, Breitbart reported. Meanwhile, Biden has pledged not to concede or drop out as rumors swirl.
During his first debate with former President Donald Trump, Biden seemed confused, tripped over his words, and seemed to freeze at certain points. This has led many to declare him unfit to run for reelection even as Biden pledges to stay in the race.
Still, some Democrats are circling the wagons for him as the campaign season ramps up. A call with several Democratic state governors has yielded support from some of their heaviest hitters.
Among those are Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who participated in a call with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Others who issued statements of support included Govs. Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, and Wes Moore of Maryland.
Newsom and Whitmer both took to social media to show their loyalty to the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Perhaps they feel their future chances require it, including becoming Biden's replacement should the time come.
"I have three words from the President tonight — he’s all in. And so am I," Newsom posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
I heard three words from the President tonight -- he’s all in. And so am I.@JoeBiden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 4, 2024
Whitmer similarly posted a simple message that she wasn't wavering from the Democrats' presidential pick for 2024 after the call with Biden. "JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him," Whitmer posted.
.@JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him.
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 4, 2024
Despite the high-profile Democrats performing damage control, others have begun to speak up about the need for Biden to step down as the candidate. The first to do so was Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the Associated Press reported.
Doggett, the 15-term lawmaker who represents the district that includes left-leaning Austin, said Biden wasn't able to "effectively defend his many accomplishments" during the debate. He called on Biden to "make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw" from the race.
"My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly, nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved. Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw," Doggett said in a statement Tuesday.
"I respectfully call on him to do so," he added. Doggett said Biden should act as former President Lyndon Johnson did and step away from the race when victory is unattainable. "Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same," Doggett added.
The emergency meeting to garner support to prop up Biden will do little to convince the American people that he's fit to serve. Now that voters have seen Biden for what he is, there's no going back regardless of what prominent Democrats say.
