Democrats must find a different path to victory, Jared Polis says

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Democrats have time to change the focus of the fall presidential campaign but stopped short of calling for President Joe biden to drop out.

Speaking Sunday on MSNBC's "Inside with Jen Psaki," Polis said: “It’s no secret we are down.”

While he did not call for Biden to be replaced as the nominee, he said that Democratic operatives need to seriously consider if he should focus on the “three and a half month sprint” necessary for the election, or the remaining six months of his presidency — at least hinting that the president's energies might be better used on governing instead of running for office.

"What I want to see is not any different from what most Democrats want to see. How do we win and how do we gain those 5, 6, 7 points in the polls?” he added.

Recent polling from the Times of London and Say24 showed Biden trailing Republican nominee Donald Trump in key swing states Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Polis, who said that another Trump presidency would be bad for women’s rights, freedom and the economy, said a successful shift in Biden's campaign would convey to voters that Biden is a better choice for the future of America. He said: “That is a question here: Can President Biden project to be that alternative with a positive, optimistic vision for the next four years?”

But Polis, chair of the National Governors Association, said the campaign trail is rigorous for a candidate for any age and that Democrats need a candidate who has the stamina to deliver that message to Americans. Whether he thinks Biden has the energy is unclear.

“This is an 18-hour-day ordeal. You’re lucky to sleep a solid night,” Polis said.