Campaign officials for President Joe Biden, in a memo sent to staffers Thursday, said that winning the "Blue Wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin is the key to Biden keeping the White House.
"Right now, winning the Blue Wall states — MI, WI, and PA — is the clearest pathway to that aim, but we also believe that the Sun Belt states are not out of reach," campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said, reports Politico, which obtained a copy of their memo.
"The consensus across internal and public polling is that the toplines in the Blue Wall states largely remain within the margin of error," they added.
The debate, they conceded, has added to the "urgency and discipline" the campaign needs to kick its goals into "high gear."
The goals included maintaining the campaign's pathways to 270 electoral votes, focusing on the Blue Wall states, showing Biden's record of accomplishments, going on "offense" against former President Donald Trump, staying "laser-focused" on voters, and driving an "ambitious agenda" for the future.
However, at this point, Biden is trailing in all three Blue Wall states, according to RealClearPolitics averages, which show the former president ahead by 5.3 points in Pennsylvania and 2.2 points in Wisconsin.
The race in Michigan, however, is in a virtual dead heat, with Trump leading by 0.6 points.
Overall, Trump is leading in the nation's battleground states by 47.5% to 43.5%, according to RCP averages.
The campaign's leaders also maintained in the memo as looks are being taken at Vice President Kamala Harris and other potential replacements for Trump, that "there is no indication that anyone else would outperform the president vs. Trump."
"Hypothetical polling of alternative nominees will always be unreliable, and surveys do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic nominee will encounter," they insisted. "The only Democratic candidate for whom this is already baked in is President Biden."
They further said that uncertainty and polls in July shouldn't be overestimated.
"The data shows we have a clear path to win," they insisted. "As we've always said, in today's fragmented media environment, it will take time for our message to break through with trusted messengers and a strong ground game."