US President Joe Biden attends a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US, on July 7, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS
Jul 8, 2024 Story by: Editor
WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden navigates through his re-election campaign, he relies heavily on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to help maintain unity within the Democratic Party and to counter any defections.
On Monday, following a surge of Democratic voices calling for Biden to step down as the party’s nominee, CBC Chair Steven Horsford, D-Nev., reaffirmed his backing of Biden after a challenging debate against former President Donald Trump last month. Horsford’s support is particularly noteworthy as he is also facing a competitive race this fall.
“President Joe Biden is the nominee and has been selected by millions of voters across the country, including voters here in Nevada,” Horsford declared in a statement on social media, emphasizing that Nevadans prioritize a thriving and equitable economy, combating big corporations to reduce costs, and safeguarding hard-won freedoms and rights.
“They know President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them. Like me, they don’t want to see Donald Trump back in the White House and are ready to work and VOTE to ensure that doesn’t happen,” Horsford added. “We’re not going back, we’re moving forward.”
The CBC is scheduled for a virtual meeting with Biden on Monday night, as revealed by multiple sources.
Black voters have been central to Biden’s political base. In the 2020 Democratic primaries, Black voters in South Carolina revitalized his campaign, setting him on the path to the presidency. Along with selecting the first Black female vice president, Biden also appointed the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Now, retaining the support of Black lawmakers is crucial for Biden’s political future once more.
During a private call with Democratic committee leaders on Sunday, four senior Democrats urged Biden to withdraw from the race, and several other prominent members expressed doubts about his capability to defeat Trump in November.
However, on that same call, former CBC chairwoman Reps. Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee, both California Democrats, defended Biden “forcefully,” according to sources.
Additionally, another CBC member, Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who wasn’t on the Sunday call, issued a statement supporting Biden and criticizing his detractors, asserting: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump in 2020 and they are the Democratic ticket that will do so again this year. Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to drop out needs to get their priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible actual leader who has delivered real results for our country.”
“What Democrats need to be doing is stop listening to these political pundits and focus on what’s at stake this election: our democracy,” Wilson continued. “End of story. I stand with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and so should all Americans.”
Despite some internal differences, the CBC remains largely supportive of Biden, according to sources. A senior aide to a CBC member told NBC News, “Most members in the Congressional Black Caucus are institutionalists. It’s hard to imagine many of them going against an incumbent president who has passed many significant pieces of legislation benefiting the Black community and is connected to President Obama.”
“They’ve all doubled down,” said former Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., a former CBC member and now a co-chair of the Biden campaign. “Turbulent times don’t bother them. They’ve been through turbulent times, and they know you muscle through it.”
The Biden campaign declined to comment for this article.
CBC members have also resisted criticisms of aging politicians and generally supported the Democrats’ seniority system, which rewards long-serving members with influential committee positions. Black lawmakers currently lead five House committees as the top Democrats.
Black voters were credited with reviving Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign when then-Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., a prominent Black leader, endorsed him ahead of the South Carolina primary and mobilized the Black community in his favor. Biden went on to win the Democratic primary and later defeated Trump.
However, Clyburn has not expressed full support for Biden recently. After Biden’s faltering debate performance on June 27, Clyburn suggested on MSNBC that he would strongly back Harris, a former CBC member, if Biden stepped aside. He also proposed a “mini primary” ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month on CNN.
While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., endorsed Biden after the debate, he has spent the past week gathering feedback from party leaders and members before the House reconvenes on Monday.
To strengthen his support among Black voters and counter criticisms of his performance, Biden last week called into two Black radio shows in swing states Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. However, this led to controversy when it was revealed that Biden’s campaign aides had provided the hosts with pre-approved questions.
Nevertheless, it is significant that none of the five House Democrats who publicly called for Biden to step aside are Black. The same applies to the four Democratic committee leaders who urged Biden to exit the race on the Sunday call.
“The president has done a great job. I think the only reason why we’re having this conversation is one horrible debate. That’s what he had. He had one horrible debate,” Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee and a participant in the Sunday call, said on MSNBC on Monday.
A CBC member, Meeks said he hadn’t spoken to Biden since the debate but spent time with him last month in Normandy, France, where Biden delivered a “remarkable speech.”
“The president has led, continues to lead, and the leadership that he has provided has brought the world, the democratic world closer together, to make us all safer together than we would be if we were doing this by ourselves,” Meeks continued. “That is what the authoritarians hope — that we would be divided. The leadership of Joe Biden has prevented that from happening.”
A key Biden ally in the House expressed confidence on Monday that Biden could weather the storm, citing strong support from senior caucus members and influential Democrats like Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee.
“People are underestimating strong support for the president from senior members in the caucus like Richie Neal and many of the most respected CBC members,” the Biden ally said. Source: NBC Newss
