Sticking With Joe: State's Dem Establishment Still Supportive In Wake Of Debate Debacle; Senate President And House Speaker Offer Encouragement; MLG Reportedly Wavers But No Public Comment

Talk about fireworks. The political variety gave stiff competition to the real deal this Fourth of July as the fate of President Biden fueled a frenzy of speculation that spread from DC to the hinterlands like one of those giant summer heat waves. 

For all the intensity of the debate in the aftermath of Biden's woeful June 27 performance, as the smoke clears things look similar to what they were before his doomed date with Trump.

To wit, Biden remains on track to become the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election and he is still positioned to carry New Mexico in November. 

The collapse in political and popular support that would be necessary to convince Biden to give up his grip on the nomination--earned as it was with the votes of millions of primary voters--has not occurred, apart perhaps from the DC media where the usual sense of proportionality was hastily abandoned in the wake of the shock waves reverberating from that debate stage.

Even MLG was momentarily caught up in the panic while attending a White House meeting via Zoom with other Dem Governors and Biden:

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico jumped in and said Mr. Biden was at risk of losing her state, according to another person briefed on what had taken place.

Her fear was apparently sparked by a progressive group's poll taken in the immediate aftermath of the debate that showed Biden tied with Trump in New Mexico or maybe it was a hat tip to her good friend and Vice-President Kamala Harris who as President might be more prone than Biden has to giving MLG a juicy appointment. Or maybe the Guv's jumping of the shark was simply the result of her love affair with caffeine. She has not offered any public comment on the debate.

Whatever the case, MLG's fear was not shared--at least not publicly--by the state Democratic party establishment. In fact, while MLG went to radio silence after her White House declaration, her compadres had Scranton Joe's back on social media, signaling that a retreat by Biden is as improbable as it is impractical. 

PROGRESSIVE SUPPORT

Sen. Stewart

One of the more relevant tweeters was state Senate President Mimi Stewart, a leader in the national and local progressive movement, a wing of the party sometimes at odds with centrist Biden. 

But there was no hint of any degree of separation as the ABQ lawmaker unleashed a tweet storm in support of Biden, reposting dozens of tweets including this from the President's own account:

I beat Trump in 2020. I’m going to beat him again in 2024. 

The ABQ lawmaker also reposted this missive in praise of Biden from African-American US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee:

The party has spoken! Millions of Democrats voted for Pres. Biden to be our nominee. Further, new polls how the vast majority of Democrats still support him as our nominee. The conversation is over — the focus is beating Trump and delivering for America! Enough is enough! 

Stewart had plenty of company from the Dem political class with House Speaker Javier Martinez also sticking by the President in his hour of need, saying:

Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.

For good measure, Martinez's predecessor, Speaker Brian Egolf, another progressive Dem, reposted this supportive Biden tweet:

1. I can’t tell you how much of a disconnect it is on the outside world. Literally zero people have told me Biden should drop out. The opposite. People keep telling me he needs to stay. Even if they think he’s old.

NM IN DC

The state's congressional delegation has been silent when it comes to direct comment on the debate.

US Sen. Martin Heinrich, facing a re-election challenge from Republican Nella Domenici had no statement but there were no signs that he was about to turn against the White House. 

As for Domenici, she was boxed in and unable to take advantage of the Biden mishap. She has publicly stated she is not pursuing an endorsement from Trump and has not said whether she will vote for him. 

Progressive US Rep. Melanie Stansbury, facing only token GOP opposition this cycle, did not issue any statement but did put up a tweet praising Biden's energy policies:

@POTUS clean energy plan, companies have announced more than 300,000 NEW clean energy jobs, including 16,625 new jobs right here in NM! The future is here, and it's electric! 

All of this is not to say that those who support Biden today could not turn against him in the wake of more unanticipated events surrounding his mental acuity but it does say for now his political base here remains solid.

Biden beat Trump in NM by 100,000 votes and over 10 percent of the total vote in 2020. Hillary Clinton's margin of victory here over Trump was 8.2 percent in 2016. 

 

Cut those margins by more than half and Biden still wins the state. 

 

When Biden's electoral track record is put up against a single "bad night" it's easy to see why the Democratic powers here are sticking with the guy who brought them to the dance.

 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2024