The Democratic Party’s hopes of keeping President Joe Biden in the White House are faltering, as key battleground states increasingly tilt in favor of the Republican Party. The University of Virginia Center for Politics’ election forecaster, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, has downgraded Minnesota from “likely Democratic” to “leans Democratic,” while Michigan has been moved into the toss-up category.
New Hampshire and Virginia, typically strong Democratic strongholds, are also being closely watched. Meanwhile, a report suggests that Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) is organizing a group of Democratic senators to pressure Biden to withdraw from the race.
While Democratic governors publicly expressed support for Biden, behind-the-scenes doubts are emerging. Governors Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Janet Mills (D-ME) have questioned whether Biden can still win their states, which he carried by 11 and nine percentage points, respectively, in 2020.
Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA), a close Biden ally, has called on the president to consider dropping out and “carefully evaluate” his political future. Meanwhile, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) has noted that Democratic Party rules do not require pledged delegates to vote for Biden at the convention, citing the need for a candidate who can beat Donald Trump.
Four sitting members of Congress have publicly stated that Biden should no longer be the party’s nominee: Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Seth Moulton (D-MA), and Mike Quigley (D-IL).
In response to the growing doubts, Biden defiantly told supporters at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, that he has no intention of quitting the race. “I am going to run and I’m going to win again,” he declared.
