President Joe Biden still has time to turn his campaign around and evade being replaced as the nominee despite a damaging two weeks that followed the first presidential debate, Democrat strategists tell Fox News Digital.
Biden faces increased calls to step down as the Democratic nominee following his performance at the first presidential debate, however strategists with knowledge of presidential campaigns say irreversible damage has not been done to his re-election efforts.
“The president has been clear — he’s the elected nominee, and he is not budging from that position unless god himself intervenes,” Democrat strategist Mark Penn told Fox News Digital when asked about the state of Biden’s campaign.
“Right now, Donald Trump is clearly leading, but it’s nowhere near double digits, so the race remains within the ability of a few percent of switching voters to change the outcome and, as events like the debate show, there’s plenty of game-changing possibilities.”
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MADISON, WISCONSIN – JULY 05: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School on July 05, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson)
Penn added that “net-net Biden is now the underdog, but this race is far from over.”
Jessica Tarlov, Fox News Contributor and Democrat political strategist, also said that Biden has more than enough time to turn his campaign around before November.
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“Is there enough time? Of course. Four months is a lifetime in politics. The election is about Trump. Those that will support him and those that won’t. I’m not saying Biden has ground to make up, but Trump remains hugely unpopular and polarizing through all of the president’s troubles,” Tarlov said.
Vice President Kamala Harris has been considered the top replacement for Biden should he step down as the Democratic nominee. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service)
Tarlov noted that Democrats will need to come together in order to secure a win in November.
“Whatever happens, Democrats have to come together against the common cause of defeating Trump,” she told Fox Digital. “And if they do, can 100% win.”
Another Democratic strategist said comebacks happen frequently in politics, and Biden’s is no exception.
“Politics is replete with comebacks, but they all had to run to do Witt. There’s a long list of comebacks, and if anyone can, it’s President Biden,” strategist Ted Trimpa told Fox.
US President Joe Biden at a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. President Joe Biden and NATO’s 31 other leaders had hoped their summit would celebrate fresh unity against Russia’s Vladimir Putin, send a warning to China and prove the alliance is as strong as ever in its 75th year, but the three days of pageantry will be overshadowed by domestic turmoil across the alliance. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
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Biden has stated on several occasions that he will not be stepping down as the nominee, but continues to face pressure from members within his own party to consider dropping out of the 2024 race.
