National and state-level Democrats are beginning to break ranks with Joe Biden’s White House as voter concern mounts over the 81-year-old incumbents’ declining cognitive state. Fueling frustration within the Democratic Party is the continued insistence by campaign and White House staff that Biden is healthy and mentally fit despite his shockingly impaired debate performance last Thursday.
Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first sitting Member of Congress to call for Joe Biden to end his re-election bid. “I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw,” Rep. Doggett said in a statement on Tuesday, concluding: “President Biden should do the same.”
DEMS BEGIN HEDGING.
Meanwhile, other Congressional Democrats inched closer to joining Doggett’s call for the 81-year-old Biden to step aside. In an interview earlier on Tuesday, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) stopped short of saying Biden needs to drop his presidential re-election bid. “We have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night, but I won’t go beyond that out of my respect and understanding of President Joe Biden, a very proud person who has served us extraordinarily well for 50 years,” the influential Illinois Democrat said.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC)—whose 2020 primary endorsement of Biden arguably secured him the Democratic nomination—also backed off his support of the White House. Instead, Clyburn, in an interview, threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, stating: “This party should not, in any way, do anything to work around Ms. Harris. We should do everything we can to bolster her whether she’s in second place or at the top of the ticket.”
Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has stood steadfast by Biden and his decision to seek re-election, is now opening the door to discussions about his health. “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?'” the 84-year-old told MSNBC, acknowledging that voters are justified in their concerns.
GOVERNORS REVOLT.
On Monday, Democratic governors huddled on a call led by Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN). In an effort to prevent leaks regarding the extent of their concerns, only the governors themselves were allowed to participate, and staff were banned from joining. Following their airing of grievances and fears regarding the debate performance, Biden agreed to meet with the state-level Democratic leaders on Wednesday.
The shift away from defending Biden in lock-step with the re-election campaign may be partly driven by post-debate survey data produced by the progressive pollster OpenLabs. According to a memo circulated by OpenLabs among Democrat insiders on Sunday, their post-debate data shows that 40 percent of 2020 Biden voters now think the incumbent should end his re-election campaign.