Some top NC Democrats raise concerns over Biden, as Cooper meets with president

Some high-profile North Carolina Democrats are raising concerns about President Joe Biden — and pushing for him to show voters he’s up for the job — as calls for the president to halt his reelection efforts mount in the wake of a debate debacle.

Meanwhile, Democratic governors from across the country — including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — were expected to discuss their concerns with Biden during a a hastily arranged meeting Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the New York Times reported that Biden told an ally he was weighing whether to continue in the race. Biden has since said he’s staying in. “I am the leader of the Democratic Party,” Biden said on a call with campaign staffers on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. “No one is pushing me out.”

Biden’s uneven performance in Thursday’s presidential debate has exacerbated concerns among some voters about the 81-year-old’s ability to run the nation for another four-year term and his likelihood of defeating Republican former President Donald Trump in a November election rematch.

A handful of polls conducted since then show Trump maintaining or growing his lead in the race for president, despite a series of legal troubles including Trump’s recent conviction on 34 felonies related to hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis said in a statement Wednesday that Biden needs to prove he’s fit for the presidency if he plans to continue running.

“The president’s delivery at the debate was a disaster,” said Davis, who represents the competitive 1st Congressional District in northeastern North Carolina. “Americans want a leader who is committed to telling the truth, but are also seeking a fighter.

“The stakes of this election are incredibly high,” he continued. “It’s no longer just about a single debate performance but about the future of our nation. President Biden needs to show that he is fit to lead the free world and demonstrate his fighting spirit. If he’s going to stay in, he needs to step up.”

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, a Charlotte Democrat, declined to comment Wednesday on whether Biden should stay in the race.

U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Cary Democrat, said Biden needs to give more public speeches and do more interviews with the media to reassure the American public.

“Joe Biden needs to make that case himself,” he said. “That is on Joe Biden, to get out there and answer those very legitimate questions, about whether he’s up to the job. I believe he can do it. But we need to see him.”

Governors raising concerns

CNN reported Tuesday that many Democratic governors held a private call to express concerns about Biden’s debate performance and continued viability as a candidate for reelection. There’s no indication Cooper took part in that call, but he was expected to participate in Wednesday’s meeting with Biden.

Cooper’s office declined to comment Wednesday ahead of that meeting. Cooper has long been a Biden ally. On Friday, the day after the debate, Biden made North Carolina his first stop, where he took the stage with Cooper and indicated that he could appoint Cooper to a high-ranking post in Washington, if the president wins reelection.

The initial call among Democratic governors was led by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, CNN reported. Waltz told CNN that the governors spoke about “what was obviously a poor performance” in the debate and what it means for the 2024 elections — and that Wednesday’s meeting with Biden himself should allow the Democratic governors to raise those same concerns personally with the president.

Amid speculation in Democratic circles over whether Biden should exit the race to allow a younger candidate to run in his stead, Cooper’s name has sometimes been floated as a potential dark-horse candidate for vice president or even president. This is his last year as governor; state law prevents him from running for a third straight term as governor.

Some national Democrats see potential benefits to putting Cooper on a White House ticket: He’s from the more moderate wing of the party, and a prolific fundraiser. He can point to North Carolina’s booming economy during his two terms as governor — even if the Republican-led state legislature claims it deserves the true credit for that. And, perhaps most importantly, Cooper could help deliver North Carolina, a key Electoral College swing state, for the Democrats.

Cooper won in 2016 and 2020 even as the state also voted for Trump both years. His campaign for governor out-performed Biden’s 2020 campaign, as well as Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, by several percentage points each time.

Lyndon B. Johnson is the last president not to run for re-election when eligible to serve another term. Johnson, beset by protests over the Vietnam War, sagging approval ratings and strong Democratic primary rivals, announced on March 31, 1968, that he would not seek re-election. The Democrats eventually nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Johnson’s preferred successor. Humphrey lost in the November election to Republican Richard Nixon.

Support for Biden

A WRAL News poll in March found that a plurality of likely voters hold “very unfavorable” opinions about Biden and Trump — and that 55% of likely voters in North Carolina wish they had different options for president.

But on Wednesday Democrats made clear that if Biden stays in the race, they’d support him.

“The only person who is unfit to be president is Donald Trump,” Nickel said. “He’s demonstrated that over and over, with his attacks on democracy, his attacks on women’s health. The only candidate that is a convicted felon, is Donald Trump.”

U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, who represents Raleigh, said Biden should keep running: “He has consistently delivered results for the American people and demonstrated the strength, judgment, character, and leadership that our country needs,” Ross said.

The top Democratic state senator, Dan Blue of Wake County, told WRAL he’s fully confident in Biden.

“Obviously he’s fit to be president given what he’s accomplished over the past three-and-a-half years and the multitude of things he did leading up to this debate, in terms of foreign policy,” Blue said.

He acknowledged Biden performed poorly in the debate. But Biden’s first stop after the debate was a speech in Raleigh Friday — where he was significantly more forceful and energetic than the night before, Blue said.

“That seemed like a man who was on top of what he was doing and where he was going,” Blue said. “The man I saw on Friday certainly is in a position to continue governing the country.”