California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) campaigned in Michigan on Thursday, telling nervous Democrats to stick with President Joe Biden, despite a disastrous debate performance last week that has led to calls for him to step aside.

SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN – JULY 4: California Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigns for President Joe Biden at the Van Buren County Democratic Party’s “BBQ for Biden-Harris” event on July 4, 2024 in South Haven, Michigan. Gov. Newsom’s name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for President Biden should the President decide to not run for re-election following his recent debate performance against former President Donald Trump. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

The New York Times reported:

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California told angsty Michigan Democrats on Thursday that President Biden had been engaged and all in on his re-election campaign during a White House meeting a day before. And Mr. Newsom suggested, gently, that party activists take a deep breath and rally behind the incumbent.

“What I need to convince you of is not to be fatalistic, not to fall prey to all this negativity,” Mr. Newsom told more than 300 fellow Democrats who had gathered on the Fourth of July holiday in South Haven, Mich.

…

A reporter asked Mr. Newsom after his speech on Thursday whether he would support Ms. Harris as the presidential nominee if Mr. Biden were to drop out. The governor rejected the premise of the question.

A group of Democratic Party governors who gathered at the White House on Wednesday, including Newsom, renewed their support for Biden. Newsom left California in the midst of a wildfire emergency to deliver that message.

Michigan will likely be a key swing state in the 2024 election.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.