SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Despite "legitimate questions and concerns raised by President (Joe) Biden's debate performance" last week, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski on Tuesday declined to call for the octogenarian Democratic incumbent to step aside as the party's nominee.
"It was a terrible night for President Biden. And I don't think we can sugarcoat that," said Budzinski, a Springfield Democrat, adding that she was reconciling the performance with "what I believe to be a remarkable set of achievements coming out of his first term in office."
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Budzinski
During the 90-minute debate last week, a hoarse-voiced Biden struggled to counter a barrage of falsehoods from former President Donald Trump and at times sounded incoherent in describing his own record. It only magnified what experts have characterized as the 81-year-old incumbent's greatest liability this campaign: the belief of many Americans that he is too old to serve another four years as president.
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His performance set off panic among Democrats, who have largely campaigned on the belief that returning Trump, 78, to power poses an existential threat to American democracy.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, on Tuesday became the first sitting Democratic congressman to call for Biden to drop out of the race. But Budzinski, like the vast majority of her colleagues, stopped short of that.
"The reality is that President Biden has won our party's nomination in 2024, and it is up to him to choose his path forward," Budzinski said. "I believe if he decides to stay in this race, and he has indicated that he obviously is, I'm going to be supporting him because I think there is just too much at stake for any other alternative."
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Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic President Joe Biden are seen on a television Thursday at Tillie's Lounge in Cincinnati during the presidential debate.
Budzinski's district covers most of the more heavily populated areas of the Metro East.
Like many leading Democrats, Budzinski instead focused on the "truly significant achievements" of Biden's first three-and-a-half years in office.
Specifically, she was touting the announcement of a $51 million federal grant towards developing Central Illinois as a hub for precision fermentation and biomanufacturing production, which was funded by the Biden-backed CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act.
Meanwhile, Biden is scheduled to meet with the nation's Democratic governors at the White House on Wednesday, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who will participate virtually.
Pritzker, who is believed to harbor presidential ambitions of his own, is a top Biden ally and campaign surrogate.
In a post-debate statement, Pritzker ignored Biden's poor performance and focused solely on Trump. He has not held a press availability since the debate.