After President Joe Biden’s shaky debate performance, Democrats are divided over whether the 81-year-old president should still seek a second term – or drop out of the race.
Democratic leaders in Congress could play a key role in whether Biden continues his campaign, according to political historian Jeffery A. Jenkins, provost professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law at the USC Price School of Public Policy. They could add significant pressure on Biden if his approval ratings plummet, he said.
“If the leaders of Congress went to him and suggested in private – in person – that he should not run and they’re willing, after the meeting, to go public and say that they think he shouldn’t run – I think that would give Biden pause,” Jenkins said. “This is not The New York Times editorial board. It is not George Clooney or something like that. These are the chief legislative officers in the most important law-making branch in the country.”
“That could put additional pressure on him, and if they actually went public, what that would do is speak to all of those delegates at the convention, who don’t have to vote for Biden,” Jenkins added.
So far there has been little coordination in Congress on how to proceed, with a handful of members in competitive districts publicly calling for Biden to drop out. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been more careful about what they’ve said, Jenkins noted.
“I think Biden probably will step away.”
Jeffery A. Jenkins, Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law
“They want to make sure that Biden goes out with his dignity and with his head high because anything short of that could be very destructive for the party,” Jenkins said. “This is not a situation that any of these people have experience with. This is like the House speakership election going beyond one vote. This sort of thing doesn’t happen.”
Jenkins commented on the uncertainty surrounding Biden’s candidacy during an interview for the PricePod, the USC Price School podcast. He also discussed the historic dysfunction in Congress, the increased polarization in U.S. politics and how recent Supreme Court decisions could affect the balance of power in Washington D.C. Jenkins also predicted whether he thinks Biden will remain in the presidential race.
“I think Biden probably will step away,” Jenkins said. “He’ll probably get enough information, enough signaling, that he’ll step away. And I think the Democrats recognize that they just can’t hand the nomination to Kamala Harris, that she has to win it in some sort of small “d” democratic fashion.”
After the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Jenkins said it’s hard to know what has changed.
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Find Out More“It appears that Biden’s likelihood of victory in November has declined, but it’s also possible that his chances of retaining the nomination have increased,” Jenkins said after the podcast interview. “The daily pressure on Biden in the news media has abated, at least for now, and Democratic leaders may step back and consider how the political landscape has changed. Every day that he remains in office probably increases his chances of remaining the nominee. That said, he has not done much to allay concerns within the party. His Monday interview with Lester Holt had its good moments and its bad moments, keeping the status quo in place.”
