The party\u2019s panic over the president\u2019s electability has spiraled behind the scenes \u2014 and is likely to spill more into public view in the coming days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Joe Biden\u2019s outreach efforts to congressional Democrats haven\u2019t quelled the party-wide panic over his future on the ticket \u2014 and the fight is about to get uglier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden spoke Monday night with some of his most loyal supporters, telling a group of Black lawmakers: \u201cYou\u2019ve had my back and I\u2019ll continue to have yours,\u201d according to a person in the meeting. He plans to meet soon with a rattled group of House progressives. He personally called roughly 20 individual members over the past week, according to a campaign official. And he sent a letter to Democrats Monday morning forcefully committing to staying in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the party dismay over Biden\u2019s electability has not abated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While just six Democrats are publicly calling for the president to end his campaign, dozens more lawmakers \u2014 even some who say they\u2019re with Biden \u2014 are harboring serious doubts about their nominee in private, according to interviews with more than 30 lawmakers and senior aides. There\u2019s widespread anxiety over which route would be worse: sticking with Biden or trying to toss him out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That fight over Biden\u2019s future, so far confined mostly to one-on-one calls with leadership and lawmaker group chats, will be the subject of a pair of high-profile meetings among Hill Democrats on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrankly, I think he has to do more than just double down,\u201d said Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), one of several Democrats who called for Biden to step aside on a private phone call Sunday. \u201cI think the American public is very concerned about his ability to continue to serve as a commander in chief. He\u2019s going to have to do more to persuade them than simply writing a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After days of privately venting about Biden\u2019s post-debate performance, many Democrats fear the painful split over whether the president should remain in the race is only going to get worse. Even seasoned lawmakers and aides say they can\u2019t predict whether the caucus will ultimately decide to get in line behind Biden or to try to force him out. What many say they don\u2019t want is something in between \u2014 a stasis that means Hill Democrats will keep tearing themselves apart as Republicans crown Donald Trump at their convention next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside various staff and member-level meetings on Monday, House Democrats agreed to hold off on any talk about Biden until their full caucus meets Tuesday morning. That meeting, held at the caucus\u2019 off-site campaign headquarters, is expected to be a tense political discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many are waiting for a sign at that meeting from their leaders. Not just House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, but also party elders like Rep. Jim Clyburn or former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. All three have generally supported Biden, but have each made at least one remark in recent days that left some Democrats privately guessing how deep that support runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeffries was unequivocal on Monday, telling reporters: \u201cI made clear publicly the day after the debate that I support President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket. My position has not changed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Top progressives are signaling they\u2019ll wait to hear from others in the party before moving forward. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said her bloc was getting together with the president soon but gave a noncommittal response when asked about the president: \u201cI\u2019m behind whoever our nominee is at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But some of the House\u2019s best-known liberals, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), made clear they are standing behind Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI spoke with the president extensively this weekend. He has made abundantly clear that he is in this race. He has made abundantly clear that he is not leaving this race. He is the nominee. I am making sure that I support him and that I am focused on making sure that we win in November,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJoe Biden is the nominee,\u201d Pressley echoed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even for those Democrats who believe there\u2019s no way to replace Biden, there\u2019s significant alarm over the tepid support elsewhere in the party \u2014 even among the president\u2019s former colleagues. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), for instance, acknowledged he is actively discussing \u201calternatives\u201d to Biden with his fellow senators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike the House, no Democratic senators have explicitly called for Biden to get off the ticket. But some voiced their skepticism outright. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection in purple Wisconsin, said she spent a week crisscrossing the state and found \u201cmy constituents are asking a lot of questions.\u201d Another highly endangered Democrat, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, said voters have \u201clegitimate questions\u201d over Biden topping the ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several more Senate Democrats declined to comment, indicating that they are waiting to talk to colleagues on Tuesday. That chamber\u2019s Democrats will hold their own lunch meeting, their first in-person gathering since the debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it would be a huge mistake for the Democratic Party, based on one evening and one debate, to turn aside from supporting a very seasoned and very capable president,\u201d said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of Biden\u2019s most vocal Hill supporters. \u201cPresident Biden will be the nominee of my party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But many more Democrats remain deeply uneasy \u2014 if not outright afraid \u2014 of what could happen if Biden remains on the ticket. Democrats who are publicly supporting Biden are still privately engaging in plenty of \u201cwhat ifs,\u201d including researching different states\u2019 statutes about the process for selecting a new nominee this late in an election year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only thing Democrats seem to agree on, at this point, is that it\u2019s harmful to the party\u2019s electoral prospects to keep spending precious time focused on their own candidate\u2019s vulnerabilities, instead of Trump\u2019s. One week before Republicans will formally crown their nominee, Democrats are instead spending their time focusing on their own candidate\u2019s biggest vulnerability \u2014 his age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think whenever we send mixed messages it\u2019s concerning, but everyone has the right to evaluate what their thoughts are,\u201d said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other House Democrats called on Biden to speak directly to their caucus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think he needs to be here in person,\u201d said Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), who said that lawmakers needed to consider \u201cnext steps\u201d before reaching conclusions on the president\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), the chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition who has headlined Biden campaign events in New Hampshire, said she\u2019s asked Democratic leadership to invite Biden to speak privately with members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked if Biden would be the strongest candidate to beat Trump, she demurred: \u201cI think it\u2019s all evolving. We\u2019re getting polling information. We\u2019re getting information from our districts. He\u2019s been a fantastic president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n