Which Jewish Democrats are standing by Biden, and which are waffling?
Only one Jewish Member of Congress has said publicly that the President should step down as the Democratic nominee
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) motions to President Joe Biden on June 18, 2024. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
By Rebecca Massel July 12, 2024
While Democrats express concerns about President Joe Biden’s ability to beat Donald Trump following his disastrous debate performance, only two Jewish politicians have explicitly called for the president to withdraw as the nominee.
Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider argued July 11 for Biden to step aside for the sake of democracy. “I fear if he fails to make the right choice, our democracy will hang in the balance,” he said.
California Congressman Adam Schiff echoed Schneider’s call July 17, saying, “I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
The majority of Jewish Democratic politicians – Members of Congress and governors — have yet to publicly pull their support of the president.
Among those standing by the president publicly is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish official in American history and one of the few elected officials whose voice will have an outsized influence on Biden. Privately, Sen. Schumer has left the door open to a Biden exit, while other Jewish politicians have offered cautious re-appraisals of his chances.
Here’s a look at who has said what.
Which Jewish politicians support Biden publicly?
Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen
Cohen cited Biden’s foreign policy as the reason for his support of the sitting president. “I think he convinced a lot of people he should stay in the race. I haven’t heard anybody speak so much and so well … about foreign policy since maybe … Dean Rusk,” the congressman said in an MSNBC interview.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green
Green texted, according to the New York Times, during a July 3 Biden meeting with Democratic governors that he believes that the sitting president was “clear and focused in our meeting” and while Green is convinced Biden can serve another term, “I suspect people will need to see the president in person and on TV to be convinced he is up to it.”
New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler
Nadler privately called for Biden to drop out of the race, but he said that his concerns were “besides the point.” Instead, Nadler said, “we all have to support him.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Pritzker said in a CNN interview that while he feels that Biden needs to prove to the American public why “he’s the right guy,” at the moment, he feels adamant in supporting the president. “Right now, Joe Biden is our nominee, and I’m 100 percent on board with supporting him as our nominee unless he makes some other decision.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
Sanders criticized Biden’s debate performance, calling it “not great,” but at the same time came down strong in his support for the sitting president, declaring that Americans should have “a maturity right now” to understand the importance of voting for Biden.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Schumer reportedly privately signaled to Democratic donors that he would consider replacing Biden. However, publicly, he has repeatedly stated that he is in full support of Biden.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
The day after Biden’s June 27 debate, Shapiro spoke on CNN and MSNBC’s Morning Joe in support of the president. Shapiro acknowledged Biden had a “bad night,” but encouraged the American public to support him nonetheless. “He is our nominee,” Shapiro said.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Democratic nominee for Governor
Stein’s spokesperson said on July 11 that the attorney general will continue to back Biden, citing Stein’s June 28 post on X, the day after the debate, in which Stein wrote, “Our campaign is ready to defend the governorship and re-elect President @JoeBiden.” On July 1, Stein campaigned alongside Biden in Raleigh, North Carolina. The attorney general is currently running against Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — who has made antisemitic comments in the past and is backed by many MAGA supporters — which means that the Democratic presidential candidate could have a large impact on Stein’s own campaign.
Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Wasserman Schultz posted on X that she feels “confident” in Biden’s abilities regarding domestic policies — including the American economy, creating jobs, and social security — as well as protecting “our basic freedoms and democracy.”
Which Jewish politicians have softened on Biden?
California Congressman Adam Schiff
Before Schiff called on Biden to step aside, he spoke out about Biden’s age and said that his campaigning “rightfully” raises doubts among the public about the president’s abilities. “Given Joe Biden’s incredible record — given Donald Trump’s terrible record — he should be mopping the floor with Donald Trump,” Schiff said. “It should not be even close. And there’s only one reason it is close, and that’s the president’s age.”
Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss
While some claimed that Biden was being pushed out of the race by “elites,” Auchincloss said that he believes that is not the case. “It’s my constituents who are everyday Americans and he has to earn back their trust and he has to demonstrate his strength,” he said.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet
Bennet said in a CNN interview that he does not have faith in Biden winning the election. “This race is on a trajectory that is very worrisome if you care about the future of this country,” the senator said. “We could lose the whole thing, and it’s staggering to me.”
Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman
Landsman said in a CNN interview that he is getting “closer and closer” to calling on Biden to step back. “It’s up to the president to decide” if he’s staying in the race, but the time for a decision is nearing,” the congressman said.
Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin
Days after the debate, while many other Democratic leaders acknowledged Biden had a bad night, Raskin doubted Biden’s ability to continue in the race, noting that there are “very honest, and serious and rigorous conversations taking place.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis
Polis described the concerns over Biden’s candidacy as “legitimate” in an interview on July 12. “When you are down — and I think it’s important that President Biden and his team realize that they’re underwater in the polls, if the election was held today, he likely wouldn’t win — you need to change something,” said Mr. Polis, the incoming National Governors Association chair. “That could mean changing the message, the strategy, the candidate. But continuing to operate in the same way isn’t likely to lead to a different result.”
Michigan Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin
Slotkin did not attend Biden’s campaign event in Detroit, Michigan on July 12. Slotkin reportedly raised concerns to donors that Trump is up in the Michigan polls, but she has yet to call on Biden to step down from the race. The Republican campaign has used this moment to tie Slotkin’s comments on Biden to her chances of winning her election in November. “Elissa Slotkin said it herself: Joe Biden can’t win Michigan,” a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson said. “She is going to have a hard time untangling herself from Biden since she votes with him 100% of the time.”
Pennsylvania Congresswoman Susan Wild
After CNN reported that several Democratic leaders, including Wild, said privately that Biden should step down, Wild issued a statement explaining that she was part of a confidential conversation in which she “expressed the same concerns that Americans across the country are grappling with, about President Biden’s electability at the top of the ticket.”
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