Legislative Detroit Caucus signs letter of ‘unwavering support’ for Biden • Michigan Advance

“I was happy to sign up because the letter emphasizes the importance of supporting President Biden and reminds us who exactly his opponent is. President Biden has been a true leader and I trust that he will lead our country for four more years. I fear that four more years of Donald Trump would leave us with no real country. The choice is clear,” Pohutsky told the Michigan advance.

The members, including House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Democrat), all represent districts that include parts of Detroit, and said Biden has shown an “unwavering commitment” to solving critical issues for their constituents.

“From his work to increase economic opportunity through the American Rescue Plan, which helped countless Black families recover from the pandemic, to his initiatives on criminal justice, education and health care reform, President Biden’s administration has consistently prioritized policies that benefit our communities,” the letter said, mentioning, among other things, capping the price of insulin at $35 a month for 2 million Michiganders, “which significantly benefits Black Americans, who suffer disproportionately from diabetes,” and lowering health insurance premiums.

Also signing the letter were state Reps. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit), Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe), Michael McFall (D-Hazel Park), Donovan McKinney (D-Detroit), Natalie Price (D-Berkley), Helena Scott (D-Detroit), Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park), Mai Xiong (D-Warren) and Stephanie Young (D-Detroit). Three state senators also signed: Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.), Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) and Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit).

There were eight Democrats who represent Detroit but did not sign the letter include Representatives Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) and Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit), and Senators Erika Geiss (D-Taylor), Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe), Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) and Paul Wojno (D-Warren).

The letter was issued one day before 81-year-old Biden’s planned campaign rally in Detroit on Friday. It is his fourth visit to Michigan, most recently when he spoke in May At the Detroit NAACP’s 69th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner.

Detroit is a central focus of Biden’s re-election campaign as he seeks to allay growing doubts among Democrats across the country about whether the president is the best man to defeat former President Donald Trump in November.

These doubts came to the forefront after Biden’s poor performance in the June 27 debate with Trump and have only intensified as the media spotlight has generally focused on Biden’s cognitive abilities while similar questions about Trump have received less attention.

Michigan Governor Whitmer, who remains a strong supporter of Biden, said CNN She didn’t think it would hurt when asked if Biden and Trump should each take a cognitive test.

But fears that Biden’s candidacy may drag other elected Democrats into the abyss remain, prompting a member of Michigan’s congressional delegation to US Representative Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) publicly called on Biden to resign on Thursday, as did State Rep. Phil Skaggs (D-East Grand Rapids) on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported A memo received by Biden’s campaign organization says the best path to victory in November remains to win the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“There is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the President over Trump,” AP quoted Biden’s campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez as saying in the memo.

Biden’s camp is trying to contain growing unrest among Democrats about their re-election prospects

The memo also sought to cast doubt on the accuracy of the “hypothetical polls of alternative candidates,” calling them unreliable because these polls “do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic candidate will face.” Dillon and Rodriguez reportedly argue that this aspect is “already written into” Biden’s candidacy.

Biden himself has so far rejected calls for his resignation and told reporters at a Press conference on Thursday evening He is “best qualified to govern and … best qualified to win.”

“There are other people who could beat Trump, but it’s awfully hard to start from scratch,” he added.

In their letter, Detroit Caucus members also criticized Trump as a “convicted felon who launched a ‘black’ coalition in front of a majority-white audience in Detroit a few weeks ago” and “stood with white nationalists in Charlottesville and waged a racist campaign that dehumanized black and brown communities at every turn.”

The letter ended with the words: “Stop playing games. We stand behind Joe.”