SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said Monday that President Joe Biden is capable of running a forceful race and serving a second term in the Oval Office, standing by his close ally in the crucial swing state after his disastrous debate performance and some Democrats nationally questioning his candidacy.
Casey had not commented on Biden’s performance before his first public appearances since the debate on Thursday evening. Among other things, he appeared at a campaign rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the working-class city he shares with Biden and which the president mentioned by name in the debate.
Casey, who is also running for re-election in November, acknowledged that Biden had a penniless debate but also suggested that voters had bigger concerns.
“He had a bad night and a bad debate, but I think people know what’s at stake,” Casey told reporters, arguing that voters were more concerned about issues like abortion, labor and voting rights and the fate of democracy.
“I’ve been around for a while and I know his work,” Casey said. “And I also know that the American people and the people of Pennsylvania will be watching this election in the way I just described.”
Casey declined to elaborate on why he thinks Biden is a good fit, saying he is not worried that Biden’s performance in the debate could affect his own Senate campaign.
Together, they lead the pack in a swing state that is crucial for Democrats to win the White House and Senate. Since Harry S. Truman in 1948, no Democrat has won the White House without Pennsylvania’s support.
Casey’s opponent, former hedge fund manager David McCormick, like other Republicans on the lower ballots, has seized on Biden’s performance, accusing Casey of lying about Biden’s fitness to be president and suggesting that Biden’s Cabinet should consider ousting him by invoking the 25th Amendment.
Following the president’s performance at last week’s debate, many donors, party strategists and rank-and-file DNC members publicly and privately expressed a desire for the 81-year-old Biden to step down so the party can choose a younger successor at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Biden spent the weekend stabilizing his campaign and then met with his family at Camp David as planned to discuss the next steps.
Biden and his team called his performance at the debate an outlier, arguing that a bad night should neither define him nor jeopardize the election.
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Follow Marc Levy at www.twitter.com/timelywriter.
