As more Dems ditch Joe Biden, Josh Shapiro still thinks the president can win
Shapiro's support of the president continues even as a growing number of Democrats call for him to abandon his reelection campaign against former President Donald Trump.
HARRISBURG — As more Democrats call for President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday said he still stands by the president.
Shapiro has been a strident Biden supporter and strong surrogate for him, even as his name has been thrown around as a potential candidate to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket and run against former President Donald Trump in November.
When asked Thursday whether he had changed his mind about Biden’s electability, Shapiro told The Inquirer that he believes Biden can be reelected and serve another four-year term.
“I’ve been clear about where I stand,” Shapiro said. “I think Donald Trump poses an existential threat to this country, and I’m gonna do everything I can politically, as I’ve said many times, to both highlight the differences and to show how dangerous Donald Trump would be.”
The Inquirer caught Shapiro briefly in a hallway of the state Capitol building — as lawmakers finalize a state budget deal. He told PennLive on Sunday, after meeting with Biden at a Harrisburg coffee shop, that he believed Biden needs to make the case to Pennsylvanians.
“I’ll just say this,” Shapiro said. “The president has made clear that he is continuing in this race. The president has a responsibility to reassure the good people of Pennsylvania and the people of this country that he can defeat Donald Trump.”
Shapiro’s continued support comes a day after former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “it’s up to the president to decide” whether he stays in the race, and as a growing number of Democrats called for him to step aside following his lackluster debate performance against Trump on June 27.
Several Democratic state representatives, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) also stood in support of Biden at a Biden campaign event Thursday outside the state Capitol.
Many members of Pennsylvania’s Democratic congressional delegation, including Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, have also stood by the president in the last two weeks. Others were less supportive, including U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who represents Chester County and said Monday that she was “still thinking it through.”