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Of the 241 Democrats in House and Senate, only 19 have called for Biden to step away from the upcoming presidential elections. Why do so many Democrats continue to back Joe Biden despite recent gaffes and questions around his age? We explain the factors behind their steadfast support, from Biden’s political achievements to the risks of a late-stage candidate replacement read more
 "Why so many Democrats have refused to tell Biden to step down from presidential race")
Most Democrats are still backing US President Joe Biden's bid for re-election. AP
In the days following Joe Biden’s fumbling during the presidential debate, headlines have been dominated by mentions of donors, influential lawmakers, and celebrities pressuring him to step back from the electoral race.
Biden, clearly noting this rise, has called out “elites in the party” and “big names” who have asked him to give up his bid for re-election, insisting that the average voter still wants him.
He’s not entirely wrong. And that is reflected in how most Democrats are still backing him.
Although the number of Democrats pressurising Biden to step down is growing, including bigwig Nancy Pelosi, the absolute numbers paint a different picture.
According to the Financial Times, out of the 241 Democrats in the US House and Senate, only 19 have called for Biden to step down (as of July 11). According to a report by BBC, at least 80 Democratic politicians have publicly backed the 81-year-old, and more are joining them as he insists he is going nowhere.
Recently, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, considered a potential replacement for Biden, has said he is backing Joe Biden for re-election. Governors including California’s Gavin Newsom have expressed strong support for Biden’s re-election.
But why?
For many Democrats, his political record and his principles, as well as his 2020 victory over Donald Trump, matters a lot. For them, it holds a lot more meaning than the damage of a rambling performance in any debate or public appearance, or even health fears.
Then there is also the gamble of putting in a new candidate so close to the November election. Some are supporting Biden because it will be too chaotic to replace his name off the top of the ticket.
“The president has made it clear he wants to continue to run, and I think people are being very respectful of that,” the BBC quoted Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist as saying. “And it’s also true that in our system, replacing a candidate for president this late is hard and is unprecedented, and so there’s enormous reticence about making a big change.”
The support from several groupings is also based on their unique interests, beliefs, and calculations. A range of groups have said that the candidate should be Biden, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which has about 40 members, and the 60-member Congressional Black Caucus, which Biden met earlier this week. Black lawmakers in Congress have largely stood behind Biden.
So far, not one has called on him to step down, and several influential members, including Representatives Bobby Scott and Maxine Waters have expressed support for Biden. Steven Horsford chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, on Monday said, “President Joe Biden is the nominee and has been selected by millions of voters across this country.” Voters, Horsford said, “know President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them.”
Still, according to NBC News, five members of the Caucus said they want to see a change in campaign strategy and staffing to better position Democrats to win in November. Instead of asking for Biden to step down, they want him to step up so the doubts can be quelled.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most prominent progressives in the Democratic caucus, said late Monday that she stood behind President Joe Biden. AOC is one of the nine Democrats that are part of “the Squad,” a clique of left-wing representatives that has entered Congress in recent years. Other members of this informal grouping– Ilhan Omar and Cori Bush– have also supported Biden.
According to a report by the Financial Times, the progressives’ thinking might be that even if the president did step aside, it wouldn’t pave the way for the baton to be passed to some progressive candidate. Presently, the top choice appears to be Vice President Kamala Harris. While she may have some shared sympathies with the Squad, she is quite far from their ideological position.
Another reason is that Biden has exceeded left-leaning Democrats’ expectations with his support of labor unions, his climate policies, his antitrust enforcement against big business, and his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
Some of the Democrats also fear that wealthy donors will influence the outcome of a proposed “mini primary” of alternative candidates to make sure their business interests are protected. That would, arguably, be more damaging.
For the party, replacing Biden now would not just be a challenge but an unprecedented upheaval. The stakes are high, and the risks of destabilising the campaign and alienating a swath of the electorate are too great. As the Democratic establishment rallies behind Biden, their message is clear: stability and continuity are paramount, even in the face of internal discord and public missteps.
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English (US) ·