Biden campaign is trying to convince Senate Democrats that he can win

Senator Tester’s Concerns About Biden’s Action for a Democratic Governing Party in the Inevitable Post–Supernova Era

If a leader felt compelled to help the Democratic Party, he would do so. Mr. Biden is one of the few leaders who will listen to Chuck Schumer.

Bad news is something that no one likes to be a part of. When the news is so bad that people think the president is too old for the job, there’s not many people who have such a strong desire to help.

Most have stopped short of asking him to step aside. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has raised concerns but repeated a line shared by most Democrats: ultimately, the decision is out of their hands.

The meeting was viewed by many Democrats as a critical opportunity for Biden’s team to convince skeptical and fearful senators that Biden can not only run and win, but he can help Democrats keep control of the Senate.

President Biden’s top campaign staff attempted to salvage support from Democratic Senators Thursday in a nearly two-hour meeting that did not appear to immediately resolve their fears.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, who was one of the first Senators to raise concerns about Biden’s continued candidacy, said after the meeting that he needs to see more from Biden himself.

“Some of my concerns are allayed, some other have been deepened,” Blumenthal said. “I need more of the kind of analytics that show the path to success.”

The Road to Election Success: Finding a Way to Help Donald B. Biden Despite the Disappointing Debate Performance in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan

Biden Campaign senior advisors Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti and Biden campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon called the meeting a day before as support for Biden appeared to deteriorate among Democrats on Capitol Hill.

In a memo obtained by NPR, Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez told staff on Thursday that there’s a path to win the election, despite the “setback” of the debate, focusing on the “Blue Wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

There is no question there is more anxiety following the debate, but we are not seeing it translate into a major shift in vote share in key states.

A majority of Democratic voters want Biden to step aside. The polls don’t show that alternate Democratic nominees will do any better than Biden.

They said that the campaign needs to keep focused on contrasts between Biden’s accomplishments with Trump’s record on reproductive rights and Project25 agenda. “The surest way to help Donald Trump is to spend his convention talking about our nominating process instead of the MAGA extremism that will be on stage in Milwaukee,” they said.

Most of the Senators left the meeting to avoid being asked questions from reporters. However Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., reiterated her support for Biden.

But a growing number of Democrats — publicly and privately — have raised concerns about Biden in recent days. The senator is worried that Biden will lose the election and take the House and Senate with him.

“I think President Biden should look at all of the information and carry on detailed conversations with key leaders, including Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries, and should do what’s best for the nation,” Merkley told NPR in an interview.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post sayin that Democrats “cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance” and urging Biden to back down.