LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- President Joe Biden plans to speak with Democratic governors Wednesday as he attempts to solidify support among his party’s top leaders after last week’s shaky debate performance. The discussion will come Wednesday and is likely to be mostly virtual, according to two people familiar with Biden’s plan.
Nearly a week after Biden's debate performance in which his age showed in primetime, questions about his ability to remain in the race are intensifying among concerned Democrats. But there is also a growing sense that the party has trapped itself in a bad situation with no clear solution, caught in a primary process set up to protect Biden with elected officials unwilling to say out loud what some say quietly.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will attend the meeting in person in Washington, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
Beshear appeared on CNN Tuesday, saying he and other Democratic governors want a direct and candid conversation with Biden about his health and his strategy moving forward.
"I don't think it's an attack on the White House or an attack on the president — who is a good man and a nice man — to say 'Tell us a little bit more about how you're doing,'" Beshear said. "I think the American people would respond positively to it."
The fallout from the debate was overwhelming, even inside the Democratic party. In private, people close to would-be Biden replacements — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Vice President Kamala Harris — are having informal conversations about potential next steps should Biden abruptly change course and step aside.
Such conversations include talk of potential running mates, according to donors involved in the discussions. Names of potential vice presidential nominees that have surfaced include Beshear and California Rep. Ro Khanna.
"... What we saw in the debate was rough," Beshear said. "It was a rough night, and regardless of polls that you see, it's going to hurt the campaign."
Every one of the officials on such lists has publicly pledged support for Biden in recent days. And ever defiant, Biden's team has downplayed the president's political problems in a series of memos and private meetings with donors, strategists and party insiders.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will speak with Democratic governors and also hold calls with party leaders in Congress. Those are the strongest indications yet that Biden is attempting to calm fears among some Democrats worried about post-debate fallout.
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Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
