Some donors pressure Biden to quit campaign
After several days of quiet griping and hoping that President biden would abandon his reelection campaign on his own, many wealthy Democratic donors are trying to take matters into their own hands.
Wielding their fortunes as both carrot and stick, donors have undertaken a number of initiatives to pressure biden to step down from the top of the ticket and help lay the groundwork for an alternate candidate.
the efforts expose a remarkable and growing rift between the party’s contributor class and its standard-bearer that could have an impact on down-ballot races, whether or not the donors influence biden’s decision.
the president on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to stay in the race amid criticism of his weak debate performance last week. but that has not placated donors or strategists who worry he cannot win in november.
A group of them is working to raise as much as $100 million for a sort of escrow fund, called the next generation PAC, that would be used to support a replacement candidate. If biden does not step aside, the money could be used to help down-ballot candidates, according to people close to the effort.
supporters of potential replacements such as vice President Kamala harris are jockeying to position their preferred successor. other donors are threatening to withhold contributions not only from biden but also from other Democratic groups unless biden bows out.
If biden forges ahead, it could set up a dramatic impasse with a major donor base at the moment it is most needed: when the race enters its heavy-spending homestretch. While biden narrowly outraised Donald trump last month, it is not clear if he erased the financial advantage that trump and his party held over biden and his party.
not all big donors are jumping ship. but many are seeking a way to move on and build a financial infrastructure for a postbiden campaign.
“this is something unique,” said James carville, the longtime Democratic strategist. he added that he had encouraged donors to refuse fund-raising calls from Democratic campaign groups and that the unfolding situation differed from donor revolts in past campaigns, when contributors would complain but, “for the most part, you sit down, and you listen, and you take notes, and then you just tell them, ‘Yes,’ and then do nothing.”
Newsom assertive in his support for president
south haven, Mich. — california governor gavin newsom offered a forceful defense of embattled President biden on thursday, telling Democrats in Michigan that the 81year-old president has the record and energy to win a second term despite widespread doubts about his ability to campaign or govern effectively.
newsom’s pitch at a local Independence Day picnic is part of an effort from biden’s reelection campaign and the White house to reassure party activists and the broader electorate that biden is up to job after he appeared addled in his debate against former president trump.
“this is a serious moment in American history. It’s not complicated,” newsom told van buren county Democrats, turning their attention to the prospects of another trump presidency. “What I need to convince you of is not to be fatalistic, not to fall prey to all of this negativity . ... Do more. Worry less.”
newsom’s plea highlights the tenuous balance for Democrats and party lieutenants like the 56-year-old governor: he has long been a top biden campaign surrogate and was among the governors who rallied behind the president after a private White house session on Wednesday. Yet newsom himself is among those mentioned as potential replacements should biden step aside and allow an open convention when Democratic delegates convene in chicago next month.
the governor sidestepped questions about those potential outcomes, including a question about whether he would support vice President Kamala harris, a fellow californian, for the nomination if biden leaves the race.
“I don’t even like playing in the hypotheticals, because last night was about sort of locking down any doubt or ambiguity,” he said, referring to biden’s session with Democratic governors. “And then we start running in different directions, zigging and zagging and all that kind of speculation. And that gets in the way of progress.”
newsom acknowledged “a tough few weeks” during his remarks to picnic attendees, and he admitted he had to scrap his planned talking points when facing reporters in Atlanta after the debate. but he said biden reassured him and other Democratic governors Wednesday at the White house, where the president acknowledged his flop but expressed determination to win his rematch with trump.
“that was the Joe biden I remember from two weeks ago. that was the Joe biden that I remember from two years ago,” newsom said.
“that’s the Joe biden that I’m looking forward to reelecting as president of the United states, and I mean that.”
Va. school board member pleads guilty in Jan. 6 case
A school board member in frederick county, va., who has rejected calls to resign over his presence inside the Us capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week to 12 days in jail and two years of probation for misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct during the riot.
Miles Adkins, 39, a former Marine, admitted that he stormed the capitol, drank beer and whiskey inside, yelled and danced there, and stepped over broken furniture to help a rioter enter through a smashed window.
Assistant Us Attorney cari f. Walsh asked for 45 days of incarceration, saying Adkins failed to show remorse and claimed he was a victim despite ignoring signs of violence around him. the prosecutor cited a need for “specific deterrence,” citing a pattern of conduct by Adkins, including convictions for reckless driving after refusing to undergo a breath test, a hit-andrun, driving on a suspended license, and revocations of probation.
Defense attorney Jay P. Mykytiuk emphasized that his client was nonviolent, and Adkins said he was a victim of a “two-tiered justice system” in which some other Jan. 6 defendants have received only fines.
“Mr. Adkins’s offenses, although certainly criminal, were peaceful in nature,” Mykytiuk said, and he “had no more sinister an agenda than to participate in a peaceful protest and have his voice heard by his elected officials.”
Adkins served four years as a Marine and was injured in Iraq after a heavy aircraft part fell on his back. Addiction to alcohol and prescription pain pills cost him jobs and his marriage, but he worked with veterans groups, earned a college degree and was elected to the frederick county school board in 2021, according to court records. he has been a divisive figure, coming under fire for antics such as sharing morphed social media images of other school board members with devil horns and hitler-style mustaches, but has said he would not resign over his latest conviction.
before his election, he was found guilty in florida of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. After joining the school board in 2022, he was charged with public intoxication in Prince William county, va., and paid a $25 fine.
Last year he was accused of driving while intoxicated in Loudoun county; he told the Winchester star that he was texting, not drunk, and the charge was amended to reckless driving.
In a statement posted online tuesday, the frederick county school board said, “We are aware of the court’s decision to sentence Mr. Adkins. however, our focus will stay where it needs to: on the children in our county. We will continue to make decisions that serve in the best interests of our students while working to ensure that the educational environment in our schools is not disrupted by these events.”