President Joe Biden and allies barnstormed the Delaware Valley over the weekend to hold on to support in this blue corner of the Keystone State as more Democrats publicly question his fitness to remain the party’s nominee.
Biden’s woes began after a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month. His public appearances since then, particularly a 22-minute ABC News interview, haven’t stopped defections among his fellow Democrats.
Five House Democrats asked Biden to drop out last week. More could do so as Congress returns this week. One member of Congress told Axios Democrats are worried about their own election chances. Senate Democrats may talk to Biden about his political future as well.
In the Delaware Valley, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) remains Biden’s most ardent supporter.
She was the only DelVal representative at Philadelphia International Airport to greet him before his appearance at a Philadelphia church over the weekend. And despite saying Biden had a bad performance after the debate, Dean gave him a full-blown endorsement Sunday.
“Democracy is on the line. There is one man who understands it, and it’s Joe Biden,” she said.
Other Delaware Valley congressional Democrats seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach, admitting Biden suffered a setback but not joining the chorus calling for him to leave the race.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) conceded on social media that Biden didn’t have his “best performance” in the June 27 debate. But she praised him as a “capable and extremely competent leader” who spent more than 50 years in public office.
And while Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon has yet to say or post anything about Biden’s debate performance, she still has a message at the top of her X page that reads, “Philly is ready to re-elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris!”
In the nearby Lehigh Valley, however, Rep. Susan Wild told her fellow House members during a Democratic caucus meeting that Biden should be replaced as the nominee, CNN reports.
Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman were on hand Sunday for what was called a “sign of unity behind the president.” They’ve been vocally supportive of Biden’s campaign. Casey said last week he had no worries about Biden’s ability to serve a second term.
Support for Biden has plummeted in the Keystone State since last month’s debate. Polls show impending Republican presidential Donald Trump averaged a 5.3 percent lead over Biden. Trump’s lead over Biden was about 2.5 percent prior to that.
At the local level, Delaware Valley Democratic party leaders appear to be standing by their man.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) speaks on behalf of President Joe Biden at a Bucks County campaign rally on July 7, 2024.
The state party regularly reshares posts made by the Biden for PA account. Most of the focus seems to be the U.S. Senate race between Casey and Republican Dave McCormick.
Bucks County Democrats held a rally Saturday for Biden featuring California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Sens. Steve Santarsiero and Sherif Street. Newsom and Biden campaign officials portrayed the rally as proof that Bucks County was “fired up” to give Biden another term in office.
Chester County Democrats appear more focused on stopping Trump than electing Biden. The party’s social media posts spend more time criticizing Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court. There are just two posts that say that they support Biden.
Democrat Party social media pages for Delaware and Montgomery Counties are not very active. Democrats of Upper Providence’s Facebook page vowed to have Biden’s back in November.
Delaware Valley Republicans hope Democratic concerns about Biden lead to greater GOP success in November.
More than a dozen Trump supporters set up shop near the Bucks County Biden rally waving Trump 2024 and American flags. Activist Scott Presler claimed Newsom’s visit made it easier for new GOPers to register to vote. The Bucks GOP X (formerly known as Twitter) account called Biden’s campaign “out-of-touch” because they were bringing in Newsom.
The Republican Committee of Chester County wonders if Biden has dementia. They posted a graphic with the headline “Joe Biden: Dishonesty of Dementia?” that dinged Biden on inflation.
Republicans in Montgomery and Delaware Counties have also regularly criticized Biden’s mental fitness. They’ve also knocked Biden for higher-than-expected inflation.
But they’re also focused on the Senate race between Casey and McCormick along with Republicans running for statewide office. The parties regularly post profiles of candidates, including Auditor General Tim Defoor and Treasurer Stacy Garrity, to remind voters about those races in November.
