Some place Illinois Gov. Pritzker on list of possible replacements after President Biden's debate performance
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It was a tough night and following day for President Joe Biden in the wake of his performance his first debate against former President Donald Trump in the 2024 campaign.
Some Democratic leaders and political experts are now questioning whether or not Mr. Biden should still be on the ballot—and a short list of some Democratic leaders who have been suggested to replace him includes Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Since the debate, however, Pritzker has only made statements defending Biden and slamming former President Trump. An alderman who will serve as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention also said getting behind Mr. Biden remains essential.
Following the debate Thursday night, some Democrats expressed concern after Mr. Biden, in a raspy voice, struggled to correct former president Trump's falsehoods as he faced a national audience on prime-time television. The president's at times gaping facial expressions and rambling answers to key questions didn't help either, at a time when many Americans believe Mr. Biden, now 81, may be too old for the job and too old to relate to them.
President Biden himself bluntly addressed the issue at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday—saying he was "not a young man, to state the obvious."
"Folks, I don't walk as easy as I used to," Mr. Biden said at the rally. "I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth ... I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up."
Mr. Biden also said he would not be running again if he didn't think he was up for the job.
But concerns persist when it comes to the Democratic Party.
"They're panicking. There's no question," said Stephen Maynard Caliendo, a professor of political science at North Central College. "They're wondering, what are they going to do to convince everybody else that it was just a bad night?"
Caliendo said President Biden's performance left many voters wanting.
"There wasn't a lot to learn in terms of substance last night," he said. "What we learned was the degree to which each of these men were able to present themselves in a presidential way."
Caliendo said there are many concerns as Democratic leaders pursue damage control.
"How can they get this particular candidate ready to be competitive in November, and how can they convince people that what they saw last night was an aberration—not a sign of things to come?" he said.
Meanwhile, the aftermath has led to a short list of candidates—as some within the Democratic Party wonder if another candidate might be the better choice for the presidential nominee.
In addition to Pritzker, the possible short list are current Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom—who said Thursday night that he would "never turn his back" on Mr. Biden.
For Pritzker's part, he issued the following statement Thursday in defense of Mr. Biden.
"Tonight, voters were presented with a clear choice—a president working hard every day to improve the lives of all Americans or a convicted felon, a selfish blowhard looking out only for himself. The contrast between these two men was clear before the debate—it is even clearer now.
"At every turn, Donald Trump lied, rambled, and misled the American people about what a second Trump term would look like, but voters won't be fooled. This is a man who brags about ripping reproductive rights away from women, tried to gut healthcare for millions of Americans, shipped jobs overseas, and sold out the middle class to the wealthiest bidders. Trump's second term will only be worse.
"Americans rejected Donald Trump's extreme MAGA agenda in 2020 and they'll do it again in November."
Pritzker would not answer questions about a possible new nominee—a change which would be legal, and possible, so long as it was a vote made by party delegates who will be at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
But the selection of a new candidate would take the choice away from voters—as primaries and caucuses are long over.
"We're not in a place where we can have primaries at this point," Caliendo said. "The people won't be able to weigh in."
Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) is one of the delegates.
"We need to wrap our arms around Joe Biden for President of the United States," Robinson said.
Robinson said he and fellow delegates have not been talking about a different candidate stepping in. As a supporter of the president, Robinson is trying to quash voters' concerns about Mr. Biden's age.
"It's going to take folks like myself as an elected to be able to galvanize folks," Robinson said.
President Biden's aides also said he will not be stepping down.
There is another scheduled debate between the two nominees, On Sept. 10—after the conventions.
