As President Joe Biden faces calls from dozens of House Democrats and a handful of Democratic senators, some of the most influential people in the party have still stuck by his side.
In the now three and a half weeks following the debate, the calls for Biden to step down have only increased with now 36 elected Democrats calling for Biden to step aside . Biden still has some strong supporters who continue to back him through the turmoil.
Here are the people who are still on board with Biden at the top of the ticket.
Vice President Kamala Harris
Biden’s right hand woman has been steadfast in her support for Biden. In an CNN interview immediately following the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris did acknowledge that Biden started slow but said he picked up as the debate went on.
Harris has continued to reiterate her support for him in the fallout from the debate. She held a phone call Friday for concerned donors where she tried to reassure them Biden will win in November.
"We are going to win this election," She said on the call. "We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: Our president, Joe Biden."
The Clintons
The day after the debate, former President Bill Clinton put out a statement of support for Biden.
“I’ll leave the debate rating to the pundits, but here’s what I know: facts and history matter. Joe Biden has given us 3 years of solid leadership, steadying us after the pandemic, creating a record number of new jobs, making real progress solving the climate crisis, and launching a successful effort in reducing inflation, all while pulling us out of the quagmire Donald Trump left us in. That’s what’s really at stake in November,” Bill Clinton said on X following the debate.
Former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has also been supportive of Biden at the top of the ticket, and both she and the former president have reportedly been telling donors to stick with Biden.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
Progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has been supportive of Biden throughout calls for him to step aside. She has tried to put down speculation from the media about Biden’s next step.
“I spoke with the president extensively this weekend. He has made abundantly clear that he is in this race. He has made abundantly clear that he is not leaving the race. He is the nominee. I am making sure that I support him and making sure that we win in November,” she said last week.
Friday, she took to Instagram Live to talk about the logistics behind kicking Biden off of the nomination and reasons why that would not work. She warned of more chaos surrounding Democrats if they moved forward with replacing Biden and warned that doing so could result in “a presidential election being decided by Clarence Thomas and the Supreme Court,” similar to the 2000 election.
“If you 10,000% are super-convinced that the candidate, or president, cannot beat Donald Trump, then do what you think is in your good conscience. But I have not seen an alternative scenario that, I feel, does not set us up for enormous peril,” she said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Last week, the Washington Post reported that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sat down with Biden to brainstorm ways he could revive his campaign through the noise. Sanders reportedly advised Biden to unveil his 100-Day Plan to voters.
Biden unveiled his plan at a Michigan rally, to which Sanders endorsed some of it the next day. Sanders, 82, has also publicly voiced his support for Biden to remain in the game.
“Biden and Democrats can win this election if they address the needs of the working class,” Sanders said in a statement about Biden’s path to victory. “The American people want change. It will either be the change of Trump’s reactionary and xenophobic policies, or change that benefits working families.”
He also published an op-ed in the New York Times about his support for Biden staying in the race.
“Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump. But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate,” He wrote.
“Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate. And with an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking,” He continued.
Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI)
Many Democratic governors like Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) have also been steadfast in their support of the President.
Earlier this month, Newsom embarked on a campaign tour across the midwest on behalf of the Biden campaign.
“I decided instead of just rolling over and giving up, that I would step up and pick up the fight,” Newsom said .
Whitmer also hasn’t faltered in her own support, coming from the battleground state of Michigan. It’s a state Trump won in 2016, but Biden flipped back blue in 2020.
“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump. Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts,” she said earlier this month when rumors were circulating that she would be on the presidential ticket.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
Earlier this week, ABC reported that Democratic leadership, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has spoken with the DNC about delaying the nomination of Biden via a virtual roll call vote with party delegates and the Democratic National Committee ahead of next month’s convention.
Chumer’s office called the reporting “ idle speculation ” without outright denying the report.
Jefferies has stuck by Biden throughout, however, despite the reported conversation.
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"I've answered that question repeatedly over the last three weeks," Jeffries said Friday when asked about supporting Biden at the top of the ticket. "I've answered that question repeatedly, my answer has not changed."
"President Biden, as I've said repeatedly, is our nominee," Jeffries said. "He has a tremendous track record of success. He is one of the most accomplished American presidents in our history and he has the vision, I believe the ability, the capacity, and the track record to make a case to the American people that will result in us being successful in November."
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