President Joe Biden's campaign is conducting head-to-head surveys between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to test her strength as a potential candidate, according to multiple sources. The move comes as some prominent Democrats have called for Biden to step aside or reconsider his plans to run for re-election due to his dismal debate performance and advanced age.
The surveys are being conducted by the Biden campaign's analytics team and could be used as evidence that Harris would be a stronger candidate against Trump. However, it is unclear what the campaign plans to do with the results or why they are conducting the polling at this time.
Some longtime aides and advisers to Biden have reportedly become increasingly convinced that he will have to step aside from the campaign, but donors and outside supporters of Harris believe she might be in a stronger position after the debate. In recent days, some Democrats have been trying to come up with ways to persuade Biden that he should leave the race.
Biden held a news conference on Thursday marking his first solo press event in eight months, where he demonstrated command of foreign policy and avoided repeating mistakes from the presidential debate. He also vowed to stay in the race despite growing pressure from within his party.
The New York Times reported that some senators were meeting with Biden staff at the White House to air concerns about his electability following the debate performance against Trump. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly signaled openness to having Biden replaced as the presidential nominee amid pressure from party donors and fellow senators. Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to publicly call for Biden to step aside in a Washington Post opinion piece.
Despite these challenges, Biden's campaign chair Jennifer O'Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a memo to staff that there is a clear pathway ahead and that Harris would not outperform the president against Trump. They also noted that hypothetical polling of alternative nominees is unreliable and surveys do not take into account the negative media environment any Democratic nominee will encounter.
