Biden aides struggle to win back spooked Senate Dems
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. heads to Senate Democrats' meeting with White House advisors on July 11, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Doubts about President Biden's path to victory still linger among Senate Democrats after the president's top campaign aides briefed lawmakers Thursday.
Why it matters: No minds seemed to be changed after the high-stakes briefing from Biden's team, a bad sign for the president as he struggles to stem a dramatic drop-off in support on Capitol Hill.
Driving the news: Biden advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon painted a rosy picture for senators, a source familiar with the meeting told Axios, adding that there was widespread pushback from senators to what the campaign was saying.
- Senators' exchanges with Biden officials got heated at times, with lawmakers expressing frustration that campaign officials have not done what they said they would — put Biden out there and turn things around, a second source familiar with the meeting said.
- Senators pushed back on the idea that Biden's problem is with "elites." raising concerns they've been hearing from constituents, the source said, adding that other lawmakers ardently defended Biden, arguing forcefully that the party should rally around him.
- The first source said senators told the Biden campaign officials that they felt they're being put in the untenable position defending the president from concerns about his age and ability.
State of play: Sen. Pete Welch (D-Vt.), the only Democratic senator to call publicly for Biden to leave the race, said the meeting did not change his position.
- And Biden backers — like Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) — also said they were still standing behind Biden after the session.
- Lawmakers left the huddle saying they agreed not to share details, remarking only that it was a constructive meeting.
The big picture: Biden's team is pitching the idea that the president has multiple pathways to winning 270 electoral votes, according to an internal campaign memo acquired by Axios.
- The most direct path is for Biden to hold "Blue Wall" states — Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, according to the memo.
- The memo said the campaign is "laser-focused" on building support for Biden with the same coalition that sent him to the White House in 2020.
Yes, but: No movement in a positive direction for the Biden campaign on Capitol Hill is bad, as a growing number of congressional Democrats publicly urge him to get out of the race.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has publicly said he backs Biden, has signaled behind closed doors that he is open to dumping him from the top of the ticket.
The bottom lines: Sources tell us senators left the meeting with the same opinions they walked in with.
- And Biden officials managed only to provide an expected and unpersuasive campaign pitch.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
