Pete Aguilar, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said the focus of the House Democratic conference this morning was not to “get on the same page,” but to discuss the best tactics for defeating President Donald Trump in November.
During the press conference, Aguilar and caucus vice chairman Rep. Ted Lieu repeatedly sounded the alarm about a second term for Trump.
Aguilar also said he and other Democrats will be closely watching Biden’s movements this week, including a high-profile news conference scheduled for Thursday, for further evidence to consider as the caucus judges Biden’s viability.
Aguilar did not explicitly endorse Biden, choosing instead to endorse “the Democratic candidate.”
Aguilar also said defeating President Trump is one of Democrats’ “two goals” in November, along with “getting 218 votes for Hakeem Jeffries on Jan. 3” to be elected Speaker of the House.
Some Democrats in battleground districts and states have been hesitant to publicly offer their full support to the incumbent president out of concern that it could hurt them on Election Day. Biden has also consistently trailed Democrats in battleground state Senate races, a lead that many political analysts and lawmakers say is unsustainable.
The caucus chair declined to disclose the content of conversations he had with candidates in struggling districts, but encouraged them to “just keep moving forward.”
