Democratic delegates voiced concern regarding President Joe Biden's debate performance in private online discussions, which cast doubt on the feasibility of his candidacy.
Politico acquired a collection of messages exchanged among California delegates during exclusive discussions on platforms like Facebook. These messages revealed intense debates regarding Biden's performance in the first presidential debate last month.
During these discussions, DNC delegate Susan Bolle informed participants that she had received over 150 requests from local voters to urge the president to resign in the days following the debate.
“Obviously, the first step would be that President Biden steps down of his own accord and frees his delegates. We should discuss this. This is a painful experience on every level, but we play an outsized role in history this election. This cannot be left to chance,” Bolle said in an invite-inly chat on the Facebook group for convention delegates called the 2024 California DNC Delegate Group.
Joe Biden has thus far refrained from yielding to demands to withdraw, however, the California delegates appeared to unite in support of vice president Kamala Harris in the event that he chooses to exit the race.
“Kamala isn’t the strongest overall but logistically it’d be the cleanest. But imagine the fury if a sitting vice president who is a black woman were passed over for any of the other candidates,” Nico Brancolini, a vice president of the Stonewall Democratic Club, wrote.
Alternative candidates proposed by other delegates included Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, or Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. However, the discussions around the president potentially relinquishing power were marked by evident emotional intensity.
“I’m in tears,” Stonewall president Renay Grace Rodriguez penned as the debate was still unfolding. “What I was in tears about was Biden’s poor performance,” Rodriguez explained later, saying she would not support replacing Biden unless he decided to step down.
The administrators of the Facebook channel ultimately prohibited conversations regarding the replacement of Biden due to the majority of participants already being committed to supporting the president. However, this decision was met with dissatisfaction by the DNC delegates involved in the discussion.
“I also thought it was the other party that demanded allegiance to their dear leader. I was a delegate elected just like … all you and will fulfill my obligations consistent with the DNC rules, and I’m disappointed you would censor opinions that don’t match yours regarding the future of our party and country,” DNC delegate Tom McInerney wrote.