President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are shown meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on conFebruary 2, 2023, in the Oval Office. | Source: HUM Images / Getty
Black voices are conspicuously missing among the growing voices of prominent House Democrats calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race following an unfortunate debate against Donald Trump nearly two weeks ago.
In fact, Black Democrats are the ones who are most staunchly defending Biden, 81, and urging Party unity amid mainstream media reports amplifying that possibility more than the calls for Trump to also drop out of the race after being convicted of 34 felonies.
On Monday, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) held a call with Biden to express their confidence as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“None of the members who attended the virtual meeting expressed any doubts to the president about his electability or said he should step aside,” the New York Times reported.
Also on Monday, CBC Chair and Nevada Rep. Steve Horsford said in a statement that “Biden is the nominee.”
— Steven Horsford (@StevenHorsford) July 8, 2024
That came one day after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hosted a similar call with fellow House Democrats to help convince them to keep supporting Biden’s candidacy. Jeffries told the Times that he “has not changed” his opinion about Biden’s candidacy.
“I made clear publicly, the day after the debate, that I support President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket,” Jeffries said.
Over the weekend, longtime California Congresswoman Maxine Waters displayed the type of loyalty to Biden and the Democratic Party that has become emblematic of Black voters for decades.
“I don’t care what anybody says — it ain’t going to be no other Democratic candidate,” Waters told attendees at the Essence Fest in New Orleans this past weekend. “It’s going to be Biden.”
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, largely seen as Biden’s closest adviser who is Black, has also spoken in no uncertain terms about the president’s reelection bid.
Beyond Congress, Black Democratic leaders like former President Barack Obama and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus have expressed their support for Biden to remain in the race.
That same kind of ardent defense contrasts with at least nine House Democrats — all of whom are not Black — reportedly calling for Biden to step aside. Washington State Rep. Adam Smith said on Monday that Biden should drop out “as soon as possible” and that “there would be a huge sigh of relief amongst just about every Democrat in the House” if he did so.
Biden, for his part, has been adamant about remaining in the race.
The unwavering support from Black lawmakers for the president comes as a new poll found that Vice President Kamala Harris would fare better in an election against Trump than Biden. The poll also found that other politicians whose names have been floated as potential candidates replacing Biden on the Democratic ticket – Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom – would lose against Trump. Whitmer has said she wouldn’t run.
On the flip side, calls have grown for Harris to be the Democratic nominee in the aftermath of the debate late last month.
Reuters, citing “seven senior sources at the Biden campaign, the White House and the Democratic National Committee with knowledge of current discussions on the topic,” reported last week that Harris, 59, is the “top alternative” presidential candidate if Biden steps aside.
Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Julián Castro, who served in President Barack Obama’s administration with Biden, also called on the president to allow a “stronger Democratic candidate” to run for the Party’s nomination.
“Defeating Donald Trump is too important for Democrats to do nothing,” Castro posted last week in a thread on X, formerly Twitter. “With the understanding that the stakes are so high, President Biden should make the difficult decision to withdraw from the race.”
Castro added that now is the time to act, noting that “Time is running out.”
Castro floated Harris’ name as a possible replacement who he said has “a better chance of winning” against Donald Trump than Biden.
That same sentiment was also expressed by Michael Arceneaux, whose new op-ed for NewsOne makes the case for Harris to be the nominee.
“Biden can spend the next week pleading his case. But if he fails, he should reconsider being the bridge candidate he promised to be and step aside for his running mate,” Arceneaux wrote.
Concerns remain about Biden’s candidacy regardless, with longtime Democratic strategist James Carville predicting that the president will drop out of the race “Whether he is ready to admit it or not.” Carville recommended in a New York Times op-ed for Democrats to have “a plan” in place when that happens.
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