As President Biden watches his support among key Democrats in Congress quietly erode, one group has emerged as a vocal base of support on Capitol Hill: Black lawmakers, particularly older ones.
While most Democrats have avoided publicly commenting on Biden’s fate, and many privately express skepticism about his ability to remain the party’s nominee following his dismal debate performance, their own leaders and those of the Congressional Black Caucus have filled the void by vocally supporting Biden.
It’s reminiscent of how Black Democrats rallied to back Biden’s victory in the 2020 primary and speaks to broader racial and generational divisions within the party that could have important implications for determining how it moves forward from the president’s current crisis.
More than a dozen Black Democrats in both the House and Senate have begun to forcefully defend him as their colleagues begin to whisper with increasingly urgent tones about ousting him.
Rep. Steven Horsford, R-Nevada, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who is facing an uphill battle for reelection, issued a statement Monday endorsing the president.
“President Joe Biden is the nominee, elected by millions of voters across this country, including voters here in Nevada,” he wrote, adding that voters know “President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them.”
Biden’s public endorsement came shortly after he sent a letter to Democratic lawmakers in which he again ignored calls from some for him to resign and wrote that he was “committed to continuing his campaign.”
Other veteran black lawmakers have also been vocal in their support for Biden in recent days.
“The choice of American leadership and democracy is clear,” Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, wrote on social media late Sunday, praising Biden’s record as a defender of democracy.
“No matter what anybody says, the other Democratic candidate is not going to be the one to get elected,” Rep. Maxine Waters of California told an audience at the Essence Festival in New Orleans over the weekend. “It’s going to be Biden.”
Waters was also one of a few Democratic leaders to defend the president during a high-level virtual meeting on Sunday, where several key committee leaders said privately that the president should withdraw from the race, according to people who attended and were briefed on the meeting. Rep. David Scott of Georgia, another ranking member of the Congressional Black Caucus, also spoke in support of Biden, according to people familiar with the matter.
As the going gets tough, Biden’s team is taking solace in the endorsement he has received from influential Black Democrats in Congress and within the party. Biden held a private online meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday evening and urged the group to continue supporting his candidacy, according to a participant in the private meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to participants, during the session, Biden expressed his deep gratitude to those who have always supported him at key times in his political career, including the present, and urged members not to abandon him amid the looming threat of President Donald J. Trump’s reelection.
Biden spoke for about 30 minutes, outlining how his administration plans to uplift and support the black community and the middle class over the next four years, highlighting policies to help families struggling with rising elderly care and medical costs.
About 40 to 50 members took part in the online meeting, with several voicing their support for the president, including Sen. James E. Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat who is co-chairing Biden’s reelection campaign. No one questioned Biden’s candidacy, according to participants.
Clyburn’s comments to colleagues on Monday evening repeated remarks he made earlier in the day in which he pushed back against calls for the president to resign.
Younger black lawmakers have been slow to endorse Biden and have remained largely silent, as has the highest-ranking black Democrat in Congress, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Days after last month’s debate, Jeffries said Biden was ready to make a “comeback” after a “disappointing” performance, and on Monday he reiterated his support for the president.
But Jeffries has done little to quell what appears to be growing support within the campaign for him to replace Biden as the top candidate. During a private meeting of senior officials on Sunday that was billed as a listening session, Jeffries did not defend the president or speak out about rallying Democrats to keep Biden in the running, nor did he suggest to lawmakers whether Biden should continue in the campaign.
Still, Biden has relied on the support of black voters as he seeks to bounce back from the crisis, and on Sunday he made the case for continuing his campaign at a black church in Philadelphia.
“I’ve been in this job a long time, and I can honestly say I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of America if we come together,” Biden told the congregation at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ.
