Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) suggested that the “only thing” that could adjust President Biden’s decision about whether to stay in the post-debate race is the poll numbers.
Quigley emphasized during a Tuesday interview with CNN that Biden’s decision to continue is his alone, following a difficult debate last week against former President Trump. The Illinois Democrat suggested that weak polls following the event are the only thing that could sway the incumbent.
“So it is clear that what happened last week does not appear to influence his decision. I don’t know what will happen,” he told CNN’s Kasie Hunt. “I don’t know if his research is – it probably takes what, three, four or five, even a week to get a decent survey. So, from what I assess, we will probably achieve this from today or tomorrow.”
“The holiday will make voting more difficult, but I think it’s probably the only thing that exists right now that can change his opinion or influence, that critical decision that, once again, only he can make,” he added.
He noted that while Biden has done an “extraordinary job,” the president needs to “be honest with himself.”
“I think what you’re getting at here is that this decision not only affects who will serve in the White House for the next four years, but also who will serve in the Senate, who will serve in the House that will have implications for decades to come,” he told Hunt.
He reiterated that Biden must make the decision knowing it could impact election races when Hunt noted that it appeared the lawmaker is “really open to the idea that it might be the right decision for him to step aside.”
“I think the point I’m making is that it should be his decision,” Quigley said. “But we have to be honest with ourselves: not only was it a horrible night, but I won’t go any further out of respect and understanding.”
“President Joe Biden is a very proud person who has served extraordinarily well for 50 years, but the decision is his,” he continued. “I just want him to appreciate in this moment how much this impacts not just his race, but all the other races that will take place in November.”
Biden’s campaign has maintained that the president will not step aside after last week’s weak debate, when the president appeared to lack energy and stumble over answers. Instead, the campaign touted its fundraising numbers and released new ads to allay the concerns of voters and donors on both sides of the aisle.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, wrote in a memo Saturday that “the Beltway class is disregarding Joe Biden” and that the status of the race remains unchanged after the debate.
“Despite all the angst that emerged on Thursday, here’s the truth: This election was incredibly close before Thursday, and by every metric we’ve seen since then, it remains just as close,” O’Malley Dillon wrote.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
