‘It’s over’: Democrats remain in panic over Biden’s reelection
They sum it up simply: It’s bad.As President Joe Biden’s support continues to crumble, his party is reckoning with the possibility of a punishing defeat in November — a potential GOP wave that would not only elect former President Donald Trump but also sweep away Democrats from power in Congress.
Their angst about Biden prompted one vulnerable member of Congress, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), to ask the president directly on Friday to consider dropping out — a stunning confrontation that has deeply rattled Democrats who were already anxious about the high stakes of the moment. Biden’s response, according to a member on the call: I’m running.
And there’s a newfound urgency. Democrats are realizing that Biden’s path to victory is narrowing. His chances in critical Sun Belt states like Arizona and Nevada are dwindling, some Rust Belt states are at risk and blue safe zones like New Hampshire are suddenly in play.
All these forces are fueling a panic within the party that Biden’s meltdown could catapult Republicans into a trifecta in Washington. Some worry that Biden could drag down the rest of the ticket so badly that they not only fail to win back the House, but Trump and Hill Republicans could be handed big-enough majorities in both chambers to actually carry out huge GOP priorities.
“They are nervous about the upcoming election,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said of his Democratic colleagues who are calling for Biden to step down from the ticket. “If anybody tells you they’re not, they’re lying.”
The anxieties about being tied to Biden — who polls show has lagged behind Trump in key battlegrounds for months, but has slipped even more recently — permeate the entire ticket. Democrats’ quest to assert more local control may be compromised as well, as Biden’s crisis could jeopardize their attempts to flip legislative chambers in swing states like Arizona and Pennsylvania, and hang onto Michigan and Minnesota.
“If this were any other Democratic candidate, we could talk about how terrible the 34-count convicted felon is, but we’re in this discussion about Biden’s age,” said one Michigan state lawmaker granted anonymity to speak freely.
More than two dozen lawmakers, Hill staffers, state officials and Democratic operatives were interviewed for this article. Most were granted anonymity to freely discuss the situation or weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
Inside the Capitol, Democrats who fear Biden can’t win make up a majority of the party and a growing number are willing to say so publicly.
“It’s over,” one aide to a battleground Democrat said of the fight to flip the House. “It doesn’t matter if they’re outperforming him by 35 ****ing points. The math doesn’t work.”
And among those Democrats — especially in the House — there is a growing dread that the political gravity has shifted enormously in the last week. On Monday, Biden’s campaign had temporarily quieted his defectors. But by Friday, many senior Democrats privately believed a push to remove the president at the highest levels was inevitable, even after he held a nearly hourlong press conference after the NATO summit Thursday specifically to calm detractors.
