Top Biden party allies close ranks as poll signals voter concern

Key Democrats rallied behind Joe Biden’s reelection bid as a poll suggested his stumbling debate performance against Donald Trump last week made more Americans skeptical about the president’s ability to lead.

Representative Jim Clyburn, a critical ally who helped turn around Biden’s floundering 2020 candidacy, said the president had a “bad” debate. While acknowledging “there were some trepidations” among House members afterward, he said Biden “should continue to run on his record” and the contrast with Trump.

“He should stay in this race,” Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, said on CNN’s "State of the Union." “He should demonstrate going forward his capacity to lead the country.”

That question has come into sharper focus since Thursday’s debate, prompting days of furious public pushback from Biden’s congressional supporters and his campaign.

In a defiant series of memos to donors and surrogates over the weekend, the campaign dismissed alarm over Biden’s sputtering performance as a creation of pundits and operatives out of tune with ordinary Americans.

Biden would be the 2024 Democratic nominee, they said unequivocally, and any drop in support measured in upcoming polls was merely a temporary reflection of “bed wetting” by the chattering class.

Still, voters are expressing growing doubt about Biden’s health. A CBS News poll of registered voters published Sunday showed 27% believe the president has the mental and cognitive health to serve, compared with 35% in early June.

Biden’s allies fanned out on Sunday political talk shows seeking to drive home the message.

“I understand there’s a lot of hand-wringing and concern and pearl-clutching amongst the commentariat,” Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat and Biden campaign co-chair, said on ABC’s "This Week." “That’s great. That’s expected, frankly.”

Biden had a “bad night,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on CNN. “Let’s move on from that. It’s all an opportunity.”

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