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Dem Senators Dismiss Rumors of Replacing Biden

By Peter Malbin | Monday, 24 June 2024 12:12 PM EDT

Senate Democrats are quashing rumors that President Joe Biden might be replaced as the nominee before the Democratic National Convention in August because of concerns over his age and poll numbers.

Biden has a 0.4% lead over former President Donald Trump in in a head-to-head match-up, according to the latest analysis of recent national polls by FiveThirtyEight.

But Trump leads Biden in seven key swing states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada), according to a poll by Forbes.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said stories about Biden dropping off the ticket this summer or fall are simply "bizarre," The Hill reported.

Added Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., "I’ve heard no credible plan B, and I’m not counting on a plan B."

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., acknowledged Democrat voters are alarmed over polls showing Trump has a solid chance of beating Biden in the fall.

"Everyone's seen the polls and I think people are so alarmed that we could elect someone who’s kind of revealed themselves to be a demagogue," he said to The Hill, referring to Trump.

The media speculation about Biden dropping out has been fueled by polls showing that a majority of voters think he’s too old to be an effective president, The Hill observed.

A New York Times/Siena College survey of voters nationwide published in March found that 73% of voters thinks that, including 61% of voters who backed Biden in 2020.

British journalist Piers Morgan broadcast clips of President Biden appearing to be confused during a fundraising event in Los Angeles.

The White House later slammed the video clip as selectively edited "misinformation" to make the president look bad, while Trump shared it on his media platform, Truth Social, with the comment, "Is this really who you want to be your President?"

If Biden is incapacitated or decides to step aside before November, Kamala Harris will be the Democratic Party candidate.

Blumenthal said Thursday's debate between Biden and Trump "will be a really critical point" in the campaign and would set the trajectory of the race.

"All of the questions that people are asking right now will have different answers after this debate," he said. "At the end of the day, it’s going to be a choice between the two of them. I think Biden is so much sharper, quicker, knowledgeable than even Democrats give him credit for."

"We all have moments when we can’t remember a name, but that’s not what’s important about being president of the United States,” he said. “I don’t have a plan B; I’m not looking for a plan B."

Replacing Biden with Harris is very unlikely at this stage, the Washington Examiner pointed out.

"The absolute last moment the party could replace Biden [assuming it did not hold a virtual nomination] is at the convention, which runs from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22. At this point, any attempt to replace Biden would spill out into the open and involve a messy soap opera that would unfold on the convention floor and lay bare the Democratic Party's deep divisions for the world to see," the Examiner said.

"The Democrats are stuck with Biden — whether they like it or not."