Democrats in the down-ballot 2024 races will start to distance themselves from President Joe Biden following his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump last week in which cognitive abilities appeared slow and weathered.
“I don’t ever want to see him here,” the lawmaker said. “Every single donor — and I’m only calling major donors — is furious and wants him to step aside.”
Likewise, another said, “I’m not a frontliner, but Trump could expand [the electoral map] to a point where I’m in a 1- or 2-point race.”
Per Axios:
Distancing from an unpopular president is a well-worn strategy in congressional races, but Biden’s unique political vulnerabilities as the oldest president in history have given the dynamic a new dimension.
While congressional Democrats have generally polled ahead of Biden this cycle, fears are mounting that his unpopularity will be an inescapable drag on their races.
While some members openly acknowledged Biden’s poor performance, many swing district House Democrats put their backs into dodging questions about it at the Capitol on Friday, with one even reportedly appearing to fake a phone call.
The Biden campaign has been spinning since last Thursday by claiming that the president’s status in battleground states and his fundraising status remains unchanged. As Breitbart News reported, the Biden family has insisted that Joe stay in the race.
“While many donors, Democrat officials, and voters were left questioning if Biden would be able to serve a second term as president and calling for Biden to be replaced, the Biden family is reportedly encouraging the president ‘to stay in the race and keep fighting,’ several anonymous sources close to the situation told the outlet,” it said.
“Hunter Biden was described as being ‘one of the strongest voices’ encouraging the president not to drop out of the presidential race,” it added.
