Democrat candidates and their aides are trying to sort through whether or not President Biden’s “halting performance and sometimes dazed” appearance at Thursday’s debate have “sapped” the party’s goal of keeping the Senate and flipping the House, according to a report.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Democrats facing tough races have long known that Biden could drag down their own support, party strategists said, and some candidates have been working to separate themselves from the president. His debate performance risks amplifying voter concerns that he is too old to serve and is doing a poor job in office, the strategists said, potentially offsetting the work that down-ballot Democrats have done to try to win despite Biden’s historically low approval ratings.
The WSJ spoke to several Democrats facing tough races, who appeared to distance themselves from Biden.
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) told the paper, “I’m still processing what happened.” She added, “It was a terrible debate. We all have to acknowledge that.” Craig reportedly did not answer when asked if Biden’s performance could harm her chances of winning reelection in a competitive district.
WATCH — Carville: Democrats Must Nominate Someone Other Than Biden: “It Doesn’t Make Any Sense”:
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), whose race is considered a tossup, also demurred on whether or not Biden should step aside as the Democrat presidential nominee, saying she wanted to read the transcript of the debate before deciding, according to the WSJ.
Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), who is also running in a competitive race, said about Biden’s debate performance, and if it made it harder for him, that voters “know who I am, and they know I’m not the same guy as whoever’s in the White House.”
WATCH — Raskin: Dems Having “Serious” Conversations at “Every Level” About Biden’s Future:
At a Biden rally after the debate, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running to succeed Cooper, did not mention the debate performance when they spoke, which the paper said was an omission that “signaled the tough environment Democrats might face on the ballot in battleground states.”
“I know that our tensions are high right now,” Cooper said. “But this election is not just about what kind of president we want to have. This election is about what kind of country we want to be.”
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