The betting markets are increasingly wary of Biden’s ability to stay in the race.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to him but every day there is a new name calling for him to step down. A House Democrat from Michigan today said he should leave the race as the chorus continues to grow.
The New York Times reports some heavy hitters are plotting behind the scenes:
Some longtime aides and advisers to President Biden have become
increasingly convinced that he will have to step aside from the
campaign, and in recent days they have been trying to come up with ways
to persuade him that he should, according to three people briefed on the
matter.
Critical for him to have any chance at survival will be a press conference today at 6:30 pm ET. If he fumbles it, we could be seeing some major pressure.
A separate NYT report says Biden’s campaign is quietly testing the strength of a Kamala Harris Presidential campaign. If Biden drops out, there is a good chance that it turns into a short, open campaign ahead of the Aug 19 DNC rather than a coronation for Harris.
While some of Mr. Biden’s top aides have quietly argued that Ms. Harris
could not win the election, donors and other outside supporters of the
vice president believe she might be in a stronger position after the
debate, and could be a more energetic communicator of the party’s
message.
Ultimately though, the only person that can take Biden off the ticket is him and he will need to be convinced that he can’t win.
Update: Now Axios reports that Trump is expected to face a ‘deluge’ of calls from House Democrats for him to drop out. So far, 11 House members and Sen. Peter Welch have publicly called for him to drop out.
“I think people are just waiting until after the [NATO summit] is done, regardless of how he does … They just don’t want to take away from his discussions with world leaders,” said one person considering calling for him to drop out.