Governor Gavin Newsom says the stop in Michigan shows he is fully behind Biden
South Harbour – California Governor Gavin Newsom described himself as “fully behind” President Joe Biden’s campaign during an event in Michigan Thursday and said asking what would happen if Biden dropped out of the race was “very unhelpful.”
Newsom, whom many see as a potential future presidential candidate, spoke at a rally in South Haven a day after he and other Democratic governors met with Biden in Washington, DC, following a weak debate performance that raised doubts about the future of his re-election.
“I was really proud to be with Joe Biden last night,” Newsom told the crowd in Michigan. “He opened the meeting. The first words out of his mouth: ‘I’m all in.'”
“There was no one who came out and didn’t say, ‘We’re behind you, Mr. President,'” Newsom added. “No one. Not one.”
When asked by a reporter whether he would support Vice President Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate if Biden ultimately decides to withdraw his candidacy as the Democratic nominee, Newsom said the question was “very unhelpful and exactly the question and answer that the Republican Party wants us to ask.”
“Joe Biden is our president,” Newsom said. “He said he’s all in. I doubled down and said I’m all in. And not only that, I’m here with you to prove it.”
Biden, 81, is trailing former Republican President Donald Trump in swing state polls four months before the Nov. 5 election. During the first debate of the 2024 race between Biden and Trump on June 27 a week ago, Biden gave some rambling and confusing answers, including the statement, “We finally beat Medicare.”
His performance prompted calls from some for him to step down and let someone else be the Democratic nominee. And in recent days, two Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives – Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington – publicly predicted that Trump would beat Biden.
When asked about the lawmakers’ comments, Newsom said they came from a “very small number of people.” Biden enjoys strong support among Democrats in Congress, Newsom added.
“There are some people who hold different views,” Newsom said. “But that’s a remarkable unity considering that Donald Trump’s own vice president (Mike Pence) is not supporting his re-election.”
“I think we’re in a pretty good position.”
Pence has previously stated that he will not support Trump this year. After the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Biden, Trump’s supporters unsuccessfully pressured Pence to overturn the outcome when Congress met to certify the results.
In Michigan on Thursday, Newsom praised Biden as “one of the most transformative presidents” of his lifetime. Newsom also highlighted Biden’s economic record, noting that the unemployment rate is around 4%.
Democrats exceeded expectations in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 elections, Newsom said.
“Why am I not as worried as some others? Because you continue to overperform. Because you continue to deliver. Because you are here,” Newsom told the audience in Michigan.
About 250 people attended Newsom’s campaign visit. The event was held in the backyard of a South Haven home, where some people sat in lawn chairs and others watched from under a tent.
One of the attendees, Mike Saenz, 61, of South Haven Township, said calls for Biden to withdraw were frustrating. The president could still win the election, Saenz said.
“We have to give everyone new energy, because the phase with this stupid debate was difficult,” said Saenz.
Rep. Joey Andrews, Democrat of St. Joseph, said the crowd at Newsom’s visit was larger than organizers expected. The race between Biden and Trump in Michigan is close, Andrews added.
“I find it hard to imagine Michigan voters going back to 2016 and voting for Trump again,” Andrews said. “But we all have to stand up for this.”
However, Republican Minority Leader in the Michigan State Senate Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) claimed in a statement released by the Michigan Republican Party on Thursday that Newsom’s visit was representative of Biden’s “failing” presidential campaign.
“Both are responsible for the chaos at the southern border, high food and gasoline prices, and lawlessness in major cities. We know Michigan voters see through the charade of these ineffective and short-sighted politicians,” Nesbitt said.
Both Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer are considered Democrats who could one day run for president.
Newsom referred to Whitmer once in his speech on Thursday, pointing out that she also attended the meeting with Biden in Washington, DC on Wednesday.
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