Members of the Congressional Black Caucus — a key group of President Joe Biden’s allies on Capitol Hill — fear continued pressure on Biden may prove fatal for the campaign and damage the party, according to reports.
NBC News reported five caucus members say they want to see a change in campaign strategy and staffing, and have been concerned for months.
Two unnamed caucus members told the outlet they worry Biden may not be able to continue as the White House nominee if he can’t move past his poor debate performance — and persuade party leaders, donors and voters he’s the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump.
“I have loyalty to Biden, no question about it,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., told NBC. “As things stand, I want him to win. But if he says, ‘You know, I’ve been listening and chatting with people and I don’t want to go any further,’ or something like that, I am ready for somebody who can win. I think everybody, all of us, are obsessed with winning because it’s too serious not to be there.”
Cleaver bluntly conceded “I don’t know” if Biden can survive the crisis, the outlet reported.
But the unnamed pair of caucus members warned as time drags on, Biden’s position both at the top of the ticket and as the best person to beat Trump weakens, the outlet reported.
“Nobody in the CBC is mentally ill, which would have to be the case for somebody who said, ‘Oh, this is great. Everything is fine,’” Cleaver said. “We’d be trying to get them locked up someplace.”
During an appearance Friday on NBC’s TODAY show, Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., one of Biden’s top allies on Capitol Hill, doubled down on his support.
“I took him at his word that he’s staying in the race and that’s why I am all in,” Clyburn said. “I’m riding with Biden, no matter what direction he goes, no matter what method he takes. I’m with Joe Biden.”
He left the door open to Vice President Kamala Harris leading the ticket in the event that Biden bows out.
“If he were to change his mind,” Clyburn said in the interview, “I will be all in for the vice president.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., a senior CBC member, told NBC one or two critics among 60 CBC members isn’t significant.
“That might be a scratch, I don’t see it as a crack,” Thompson said.
One such critic is Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., who suggested the party should reassess its nominee, writing on X: “The President did not just have one ‘bad debate.’ The reality we saw with our own lying eyes is evidence of a deeper challenge. ... If the President formally becomes the Democratic Nominee, we will have no choice but to make the best of a complicated situation. But there is no point in denying the complications.”
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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