High-ranking officials of the Democratic Party in the U.S. are urging President Joe Biden to continue his candidacy despite his poor performance in the presidential candidate debate.
On the 30th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that although there are demands for Biden to withdraw his candidacy due to his defeat to former President Donald Trump in the first presidential candidate debate, the Democratic Party leaders and major donors want him to remain in the election campaign, arguing that there are no other options.
According to a poll conducted and released by CBS News and YouGov on June 28-29, 72% of registered voters responded that Biden should not run for re-election. The response that he should have decreased from 37% in February to 28%.
However, among the Democratic Party supporters, 54% responded that he should continue to run.
Only 27% of registered voters responded that Biden has the mental and cognitive abilities to perform the presidency. In contrast, Trump was higher at 50%.
Democratic figures including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, and Governor Wes Moore of Maryland expressed their support for Biden’s presidential candidacy over the weekend in media appearances.
It is reported that Biden’s family strongly wanted him to continue his candidacy during a meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat, over the weekend.
According to the Associated Press (AP), some family members blamed Biden’s poor performance in the debate on the lack of preparation by White House staff.
Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, who hosted a political fundraising event over the weekend, stated that Biden had underperformed in the debate, but showed no signs of giving up his candidacy.
The Biden camp raised $33 million in election funds after the debate held on the 27th, including a fundraising event on the 29th hosted by Barry Rosenstein, founder of New York hedge fund Jana Partners.
While Biden’s associates admit his underperformance during the 90-minute debate, they believe that he is recovering with the fundraising going well.
The New York Times (NYT) pointed out that the White House has been repeatedly dismissing the age issue as concocted by Trump supporters and the media, asserting the same stance for over a year.
There are voices within the Democratic Party calling for a candidate change, but some point out that it is too late.
Nebraska Democratic Party Representative Jane Kleeb said, “The issue of candidate change was discussed 1-2 years ago. At this point, the discussion is over.”
The Democratic Party fears that if Biden gives up his candidacy, they might lose not only the presidency but also the elections for both houses to the Republicans, leading to chaos.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries (New York) said he believes Biden will bounce back through this debate underperformance.
Meanwhile, in the New York Times‘ comparison of the two presidential candidate support rates on June 30, Trump is ahead with 46% to Biden’s 44%, leading in all seven battleground states.
