Black Caucus largely sticks by Biden, but worries grow about whether his candidacy can survive
The Congressional Black Caucus remains largely supportive of President Joe Biden but concerned that the ongoing pressure may prove fatal for his campaign.
WASHINGTON — As more and more Democrats call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, a key group of allies on Capitol Hill, remain largely supportive of the president but concerned that the ongoing pressure may prove fatal for his campaign and damage the party overall.
In interviews Thursday with NBC News, five members of the caucus said that while small fissures are emerging, most lawmakers remain loyal to Biden. Still, they want to see a change in campaign strategy and staffing to better position Democrats to win in November — concerns they say they’ve been sharing with the campaign for months.
Two of those CBC members, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their thoughts on Biden, also said they worry Biden may not be able to continue as the nominee if he can’t move past his dismal debate performance in the coming days and convince party leaders, donors and voters that he remains the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump.
“I have loyalty to Biden, no question about it,” said longtime Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. “As things stand, I want him to win. But if he says, ‘You know, I’ve been listening and chatting with people and I don’t want to go any further,’ or something like that, I am ready for somebody who can win. I think everybody, all of us, are obsessed with winning because it’s too serious not to be there.”
Asked if Biden can survive the crisis, Cleaver paused and simply replied, “I don’t know."
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