Some Biden Florida donors worry about candidate’s age, ability

Hampton Stephens planned to max out his donation to President Joe Biden’s campaign before the November election.

Stephens, a 49-year-old journalist and publisher from Tampa, said Biden was never his top pick, but he believed the candidate could beat former President Donald Trump. He’s sent the campaign and a related committee nearly $3,000 so far.

Then, Stephens watched last week’s Biden-Trump debate.

“It was pretty much a disaster,” Stephens said. “I honestly hope Biden will decide to drop out of the race.”

Even as Biden, 81, held a rally Friday where he vowed he would stay in the race, Floridians who have contributed to the president’s reelection effort in recent weeks are less sure. The Tampa Bay Times spoke with 10 of Biden’s donors in Florida and found they are grappling with the same questions as Democrats around the country: To beat Trump in November, is it time for Biden to step aside?

So far, Biden has dug in his heels. Relatively few Democratic leaders, donors and operatives have publicly urged him to drop out of the race.

But the debate performance raised serious questions among even some of Biden’s biggest fans.

Mark Brandt, a 77-year-old retired lawyer who lives in Dunedin, said he found Biden’s performance concerning. He said he would support Biden if he stayed in the race, but added: “We may be stronger with someone else.”

Like many Democrats, Stephens said he ignored whispers of Biden’s declining mental state in recent months. He cited a string of misleading videos, shared on conservative media, that made the president look especially old and confused.

But after the debate, Stephens said Biden’s age is a “massive political liability,” pointing to the candidate’s plunging poll numbers.

“I fell into that trap of thinking it was a bunch of disinformation,” Stephens said. Now, he thinks Biden’s age is “something he can’t overcome.”

Other local supporters remain committed to the candidate despite their misgivings. They say Biden has led the country with stability and success and worry it’s too late for another Democrat to step in.

Laurie Chane, 59, said she’s confident Biden’s Cabinet can support the aging candidate.

“He surrounds himself with people who are trustworthy, which is very different from Trump,” said Chane, a Tampa resident who has contributed $375 to Biden. Chane said she appreciates the president’s economic and foreign policies, his ethics and his kindness.

“He did lousy, but you can’t judge somebody on a single day,” Chane said of the debate.

Rita Bateman, a St. Petersburg resident, agreed. Bateman, 71, has given more than a dozen times to Biden since he announced his candidacy last April. After his debate performance, she said she chipped in another $300.

“I wanted to say, ‘You’ve done so much good, this one night doesn’t wipe that out,’” Bateman said.

Mardie J. Chapman, a retiree from St. Petersburg, questioned who would replace Biden if he dropped out. Chapman has made dozens of small-dollar donations in the past year.

Some donors say Vice President Kamala Harris is the obvious choice. But Chapman said her first thought was former first lady Michelle Obama. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll had Obama beating Trump by 11 points nationally, but Obama has said she does not intend to run.

“I have a cup of coffee in my hand that I would vote for if it was the Democratic nominee,” said author Allen Wiener, 80, of Clearwater.

Elizabeth Meyer of Clearwater said she felt she was being asked the wrong question. To her, the issue at hand is not whether Biden should leave the race. It’s whether Trump should.

“Comparing his felonies to Biden’s senior moment is not even equal,” said Meyer, 76. “It disturbs me that no one is asking that question.”

As the last several days have made clear — and the interviews with Biden supporters highlighted — Democrats haven’t yet come to a consensus on how to handle the 2024 election. But if there’s one more thing many Biden supporters agree on, it’s that the party is running out of time.

“I wouldn’t want to be the one to have to make this decision,” said Wiener, the Biden supporter from Clearwater. “But they have to decide, and they have to decide right away.”