WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is counting on an important political firewall to help him avoid Democratic defections and save his reelection campaign: the leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus.
On Monday, after a wave of Democrats in Congress called for the president to step aside as the party’s nominee, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev., reaffirmed his support for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month. Public support for Horsford is significant as he faces a competitive race this fall.
“President Joe Biden is the nominee and was selected by millions of voters across the country, including voters here in Nevada,” Horsford said in a statement released on social mediaadding that Nevadans “care about a prosperous and equitable economy, standing up to large corporations to reduce costs and protect the hard-won freedoms, rights and opportunities we have won.”
“They know President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them. Like me, they do not want to see Donald Trump back in the White House and are ready to work and VOTE to ensure that does not happen,” Horsford continued. “We are not going back, we are moving forward.”
The CBC is expected to hold a virtual meeting with Biden on Monday night, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.
Black voters have been key to Biden’s coalition. In the 2020 Democratic primary, Black voters in South Carolina resurrected his campaign and put him on the path to the presidency. In addition to choosing the first black vice president, he also appointed the first black woman to be a Supreme Court justice. And now, maintaining the support of black lawmakers could once again be critical to the president’s political future.
During a private call between Democratic committee leaders on Sunday, four senior Democrats called on Biden to drop out of the race, and several other ranking members also expressed concerns about his ability to defeat Trump in November.
But on that same call, two former CBC presidents — Reps. Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee, both California Democrats — “forcefully” defended Biden, according to two sources familiar with their comments.
Additionally, another CBC member, Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who was not on Sunday’s call, issued a statement supporting Biden and calling out his critics, saying, “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump in 2020 and they are the Democratic ticket that will do it again this year. Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to step down needs to get his priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible real leader who has produced real results for our country.”
“What Democrats need to do is stop listening to these political pundits and focus on what’s at stake in this election: our democracy,” Wilson continued. “End of story. I stand with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and so should all Americans.”
The CBC largely supports Biden, the two sources said, although there are “small fissures” within the powerful group — including the fact that not all CBC members have publicly declared their support for Biden.
“The majority of members of the Congressional Black Caucus are institutionalists,” a senior aide to a CBC member told NBC News.
“It’s hard to imagine many of them going against a sitting president who has passed many important pieces of legislation to benefit the black community and is tied to President Obama.”
“Everybody doubled down,” said former Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-Louisiana, who was a member of the CBC while in Congress and is now co-chairman of Biden’s campaign. “Turbulent times don’t bother them. They’ve been through turbulent times and they know you get through it.”
The Biden campaign had no immediate comment on this story.
CBC members also resisted criticism of aging politicians and generally favored the Democrats’ seniority system, which rewards senior members with coveted committee gavels. Black lawmakers currently serve as the top Democrats on five House committees.
Black voters were credited with resurrecting Biden’s left-for-dead presidential campaign in 2020 when then-Majority Leader Jim Clyburn, D.S.C., one of the most powerful Black leaders in Washington, endorsed him ahead of the South Carolina primary and rallied the black community behind him. Biden would go on that year to win the crowded Democratic primary and later oust Trump from the White House.
But Clyburn has not offered full support to Biden in recent days. After Biden’s stumbles in the June 27 debate, Clyburn said on MSNBC who would strongly support Harris, a former CBC member, if Biden were to step aside. He also appeared on CNN and suggested the party could hold a “mini primary” before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
And although House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said after the debate that Biden should stay in the race, the highest-ranking Black lawmaker spent the past week collecting input from party leaders and rank-and-file members before the House’s return to Washington on Monday.
Seeking to bolster support from the black community and dispel criticism that he is not up to the job, Biden last week convened two black radio shows in the swing states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But the president became embroiled in another controversy when the two radio hosts confirmed that Biden’s campaign aides had provided him with questions to ask in advance.
Still, it’s also notable that there are no Black lawmakers among the five House Democrats who have publicly called for Biden to resign — Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Mike Quigley of Illinois and Angie Craig of Minnesota.
There are also no Black lawmakers among the four Democratic committee leaders who on Sunday’s conference call urged Biden to drop out of the race — Reps. Jerry Nadler of New York, Adam Smith of Washington, Mark Takano of California and Joe Morelle of New York.
“The president did a great job. I think the only reason we’re having this conversation is it’s a horrible debate. That’s what he had. He had a horrible debate,” said New York Rep. Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee who participated in Sunday’s conference call, during an appearance on MSNBC on Monday.
A CBC member, Meeks said he hasn’t spoken to Biden since the debate, but spent time with him last month in Normandy, France, and heard him give a “remarkable speech.”
“The president has led, continues to lead, and the leadership he has provided has brought the world, the democratic world, closer together to make us all safer together than we would be if we were doing it alone,” Meeks continued. “That’s what authoritarians hope – for us to be divided. Joe Biden’s leadership prevented this from happening.”
A House Democrat and top Biden ally said Monday he believes Biden can weather the storm — especially with strong support from the CBC and support from other influential Democrats such as Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the Committee. of Ways and Means.
“People are underestimating the strong support for the president from senior members of the caucus like Richie Neal and many of the most respected members of the CBC,” the Biden ally said.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
