A group of 20 Democratic governors emerged from a Wednesday evening White House meeting expressing full support for President Biden as questions about whether he will remain at the top of the ticket continue to swirl.
The meeting was part of Mr. Biden’s outreach to save his reelection campaign and shore up support after last week’s train wreck debate with former President Donald Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris, seen by many as the logical replacement if Mr. Biden were to step aside as the nominee, was also in the meeting.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said the meeting took place because they were “worried” about Mr. Biden, but they felt reassured after spending roughly a half-hour with him.
“The governors have his back and we are working together just to make very very clear on that. A path to victory in November is the number one priority and that is the number one priority of the president,” he said.
“What we saw in there today was the guy who was the guy all of us believed in the first time — who could beat Donald Trump and did beat Donald Trump,” Mr. Walz continued.
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When asked whether Mr. Biden was fit for office, Mr. Walz replied, “Yes.” But he did acknowledge the debate performance was “bad.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore described the conversation with Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris as “candid” because “when you love someone, you tell them the truth.”
That truth, he said, included telling the Biden-Harris team about his poor performance at the debate and the public’s worries about him.
“We came in and we were honest about the feedback we were getting. We were honest about the concerns we’re hearing from people,” Mr. Moore said.
He also expressed support for Mr. Biden, saying he told the president the governors “would stand with him.”
“We’re going to have to have his back as well. Because the results that we have been able to see under this administration have been undeniable in our individual states,” Mr. Moore said.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York joined the chorus of support for the embattled president.
“President Joe Biden is in it to win it, and all of us said we pledged our support to him,” she told reporters.
Others who attended included several who have been suggested as possible replacements for Mr. Biden should he decide to step down, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
However, none of those four individuals came out for the press conference and neither did Ms. Harris.
Replacing Mr. Biden would be awkward though, unless he agrees to step aside voluntarily.
The president won almost all the delegates to the Democratic National Convention in the party’s primaries and caucuses this year and, under party rules, they must vote for him.
The only legal alternative would be Mr. Biden voluntarily “releasing” them from their pledges to vote for him.
The meeting comes as the White House and Biden campaign work to keep their support among Democrats after the messy debate. So far, two House democrats have called on Mr. Biden to step aside.
Earlier this week, the governors held a private zoom call organized by Mr. Walz in which the governors vented frustration that none of them had heard from Mr. Biden himself.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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