Connecticut DNC delegates weigh-in on President Biden ahead of presser

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — As Democrats across the country weigh the prospects of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, thousands of delegates are preparing to cast their votes to formally select their party’s nominee at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) — even as some are expressing public doubt that Biden can beat former President Donald Trump and effectively govern for another full term.

Pervasive doubts about President Biden’s stamina and acuity have dominated the national political discourse since the president’s halting debate performance two weeks ago. In the midst of public calls from some Democrats for the president to step aside, the convention has taken on more significance.

In the modern political era, the nominating process at the convention has largely functioned as a ceremonial affair intended to, essentially, ratify the results of the primaries and caucuses that take place months before delegates gather for the convention.

Among those delegates who will vote on the first ballot at the DNC are sixty Connecticut Democrats, mostly party leaders and elected officials, who are voicing a range of opinions on the path forward for President Biden.

Bloomfield Mayor Danielle Wong (D) is one of those delegates. She voiced serious concerns about Biden’s prospects, even as she reiterated her support for him in the event that he remains the party’s nominee.

“Do I think President Biden is the best candidate to beat Trump? No,” Wong said. “Do I think President Biden is the best person to sit there for four more years? No. If he is on the top of the ticket, will I vote for him? Absolutely, 100 percent.”

Wong said she hopes the president will step aside and allow younger Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, to vie for the nomination.

“It’s his decision,” Wong said of Biden. “And I think that the president would be an absolute hero if he passes the torch.”

As it stands, President Biden currently has overwhelming support among the delegates. He was the clear winner of the party’s primaries and caucuses earlier this year and, as a result, nearly all of the delegates to the DNC, including Mayor Wong, are obligated to vote for him.

But in the event that Biden were to voluntarily step aside before the convention, he could “release” his delegates to be free to vote for whoever they want. That scenario, commonly called a “brokered convention,” would likely involve multiple rounds of balloting by delegates in order to select a nominee.

The complexity of that process and the perceived strengths of Biden have convinced other DNC delegates from Connecticut to continue to fully back the president.

“I think right now, as it stands, Biden, for better or for worse, is the best chance to beat Trump,” said State Rep. Josh Elliott (D-Hamden), a progressive legislator who is a delegate to the convention.

Elliott’s former legislative colleague, Brandon McGee (D), agreed that switching candidates at this stage of the race is unwise.

“It’s not a good time to pivot,” McGee said. McGee is also a member of the DNC’s platform committee and currently serves as deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Housing.

“We can’t be naive. After that debate, many question marks linger,” McGee said of the president’s debate performance. “President Joe Biden has to reassure us that he can, he can get the job done and we know he can.”

Governor Ned Lamont (D-Conn.) has also called for the president to do more to convince voters that he is up for the job. Lamont said he was encouraged by the president’s decision to stand before the press and the public for a Thursday evening press conference.

“I’m glad he’s doing the press conference. No teleprompter. Looking the people in the eye and saying ‘I’m the leader for the western world.’”

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