Democrats in Congress will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday amid growing concerns about their chances in the upcoming Nov. 5 election, after President Joe Biden firmly rejected calls from some party members to end his campaign.
While only a handful of House Democrats have publicly urged the 81-year-old president to step aside, many others have raised concerns about Biden’s viability as a candidate after a shaky debate performance raised doubts about his ability to run a successful campaign and to cope with the demands of the presidency for another four and a half years.
This internal discord has forced the Biden campaign to act quickly to prevent further defections. In a telephone interview with MSNBC on Monday, Biden declared: “I’m not going anywhere,” a sentiment he reiterated in a private call with donors later that day, according to Reuters.
Biden also made several campaign stops in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, on Sunday. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is widely seen as Biden’s likely successor if he were to resign, has also been actively campaigning for him.
Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle of New York reported that his voters expressed declining confidence in Biden after his poor performance in the June 27 debate against Trump.
‘They need more certainty that he can continue to do his job. It’s not enough to just tell them. He needs to demonstrate it,” Morelle said, suggesting that more public appearances with Biden answering questions from voters could ease their concerns.
House Democrats are particularly concerned that Biden’s troubles could hurt their chances of winning a majority in the chamber, which is currently controlled by Republicans by a 220-213 margin.
Maintaining control of the House of Representatives could be crucial for Democrats to counterbalance Trump if he becomes president.
