Black lawmakers stand behind Biden at crucial moment. But some express concern | News, Sports, Jobs

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Black Caucus prides itself on its authority among Democrats and its influence on President Joe Biden in particular. So far, only one of its roughly 60 members has joined in calling for Biden to drop his reelection bid over concerns about his age and ability to win.

But the caucus’ broad support for the president ranges widely, from enthusiastic endorsement to outright skepticism. And a small but growing number within the group are openly expressing doubts about Biden’s candidacy.

Black voters have been widely credited with helping Biden win the Democratic nomination four years ago and then defeat Republican Donald Trump. Whether black lawmakers continue to rally behind the president, and how fervently, could be crucial in the coming days as pressure mounts from the highest levels of the Democratic Party for Biden to end his campaign.

Biden’s approval ratings among black Americans have fallen since he took office, reflecting weakened enthusiasm. Among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate another candidate, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

In the same poll, black Democrats were divided over whether Biden should remain as the nominee or step down.

For now, the CBC remains a rock in Biden’s support, with several members emerging as prominent defenders.

“President Biden, as I have said repeatedly, is our candidate,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a member of the CBC, told reporters Friday that he would support Biden “one of the most successful American presidents in our history.”

“He has the vision, I believe the ability, the capacity and the track record to make a case to the American people that will lead to us being successful in November,” said Jeffries.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, former chair of the CBC, said Biden can campaign effectively enough to defeat Trump.

“I not only believe it, I know it,” said Beatty. “Biden is at his best, even against all odds.”

“I am a representative of Biden. I will only take instructions from Joe Biden, not from the fourth estate, not from the billionaires and not from my very influential colleagues,” said Rep. Gwen Moore.

Still, a crack emerged Friday when Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas became the first CBC member to call for Biden’s withdrawal. Ending his campaign, Veasey said in a joint statement with three other Democrats, is the “responsible and patriotic thing to do.”

The unprecedented furor over Biden’s candidacy began on June 27, when the president’s performance in the debate against Trump fueled concerns about his age and ability to win over undecided voters. Biden gave meandering answers and often seemed to lose his thread as he struggled to parry Trump’s attacks and defend his candidacy.

Democratic panic immediately set in. As anger mounted, Biden quickly held a virtual call with the CBC, his first meeting with a large group of lawmakers after the debate, to thank them for their support.

“You’ve got my back, and I promise to have yours,” he said.

Central to many CBC members’ support for Biden is the sense that the stakes of the election mean that any partisan fight will harm the interests of Black Americans and the group’s overwhelming priority of defeating Trump. CBC members have been adamant in private conversations that they should instead focus on mobilizing Black communities, the Democrats’ most consistent voting bloc.

“What you hear and see from Black voters is a true reflection of the simple fact that we cast a survival vote in every election,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist and senior adviser to Rep. Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina Democrat who endorsed Biden in his state’s primary four years ago, paving the way for Biden’s victory and consolidation of the Democratic field.

Clyburn, who remains one of Biden’s most influential supporters, has expressed openness to a hypothetical “mini primary” Should Biden resign, though he later stressed that he was only speaking in the hypothetical case.

“We’re at a point now where people are saying, ‘Biden is too old.’ In fact, I’m older than Biden,” said California Rep. Maxine Waters, who at 85 is four years older than the president, during an appearance at the Essence Festival.

“I want to tell you, no matter what anyone else says, it’s not going to be another Democratic candidate. It’s going to be Biden and we need to know that,” she added.

Before the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, Biden was set to host a major week of events targeting Black and Latino voters.

But the White House canceled a planned appearance Monday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin because of the weekend’s events. Biden delivered speeches as planned at the NAACP’s annual convention on Tuesday, where he said “Our politics has become too heated” and that Americans “must oppose all violence,” He draws a connection between the attack on Trump’s life and recent fatal shootings, police killings of unarmed black Americans and race riots throughout the country’s history.

The next day, Biden’s planned speech at the national convention of UnidosUS, a Latin American civil rights organization, was canceled after he tested positive for COVID-19.

The diagnosis sidelined Biden as many in his party worried about calls for his resignation.

Much of the concern about Biden’s candidacy revolves around the potential implications for all Democrats running.

Biden and the Democrats are depending on overwhelming and enthusiastic support from black voters to boost their chances of victory in November, meaning that high pessimism could be decisive in close races.

On July 10, New York Congressman Ritchie Torres wrote on social media that the party “a serious reckoning with the effect of lower ballot boxes on whoever we nominate” and that the decision should be guided by “an unsentimental analysis of the cold hard numbers – which have no personal feelings or political loyalties.”

There is concern among black activists and civil rights leaders about low levels of enthusiasm among black voters as communities grapple with issues such as the rising cost of living.

“African Americans are more concerned about the policy priorities of whoever the next president is. They also want to see a president who is going to unite this country and focus more on solutions and not create whistles and sound bites that are divisive,” NAACP Chairman Derrick Johnson said in an interview just before Biden’s speech at the convention.

But several black Democratic strategists close to the CBC argued that low turnout will no longer be a problem once black voters mobilize around the stakes of the election and against Trump, who remains largely unpopular in black communities.

“Because we know that not all progress is permanent, and because we know that old battles have become new again, everything we have fought for for generations remains a fight that remains high on the agenda,” said Seawright.

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