‘I’m staying in the race’: President Joe Biden seeks to reassure his party with Madison rally

At a campaign event Friday afternoon in Madison, President Joe Biden pledged to stay in the presidential race and defeat Republican Donald Trump.

Biden is seeking to reassure his party that he is capable of mounting a successful reelection campaign after a shaky debate performance eight days ago. He greeted supporters on his way in and spoke in a strong voice as he opened his remarks.

“I’m in Wisconsin for one reason: Because we’re going to win Wisconsin,” Biden said to cheers from supporters.

Biden’s themes followed those of his campaign. He boasted legislative accomplishments during his first term and warned of Trump’s agenda if elected.

The visit is Biden’s fifth to Wisconsin this year and his 12th as president. It comes as numerous political commentators and some elected Democrats have called on the president to drop out of the race due to his poor debate performance.

Biden responded to those calls by addressing the speculation around his next moves.

“Now you probably heard, we had a little debate last week. I can’t say it was my best performance,” Biden said. “But ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation. ‘What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? What’s he going to do?’ Well, here is my answer: I am running and I’m going to win again. … Let me say it as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race.”

In front of about 1,000 attendees in a middle school gymnasium and an overflow room, speakers began shortly before 1:30 p.m. with a pitch to Democratic volunteers and warnings against electing Trump. Biden was joined by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of Madison, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler and others. 

“First, let’s acknowledge it. Rough debate,” Wikler said. “One guy needed a lozenge. The other guy needed a lie detector and a conscience, and a reminder that he’s not running for dictator of North Korea.”

Wikler said that last weekend, Democratic volunteers canvassed voters throughout the state.

“They reached out to more than 100,000 voters here in the land of the nailbiter, where four of the last six presidential elections has come down to less than 25,000 votes. They reached out to more than four times that number,” he said.

Evers said Biden has delivered for Wisconsin, including this week’s announcement of $50 million in federal grant funding to help the state’s growing biohealth sector.

“Now, not everybody’s heard about all these good things that have happened, but because the thing about me and Joe, we’re not flashy, nor are we fancy,” Evers said. “We’re winners. We’re not for political drama or fanfare. We put our heads down and do the work.”

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who’s locked in her own reelection campaign with Republican businessman Eric Hovde, did not attend. A campaign spokesperson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week that Baldwin “is running her own race for the people of Wisconsin.” 

Ahead of the campaign stop, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, said it is telling which Democrats will not be joining the president.  

“President Biden is coming to the most liberal city in the state of Wisconsin between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in an attempt to rally his base,” Steil said. “And at the same time, those candidates in the most competitive races in our state are refusing to show up. That tells you how bad of a situation we are in right now.” 

Biden this week also met with Democratic governors to assure them he is in good health. 

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, became the first congressional Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw from the race. 

The Madison swing brought the president to one of the most supportive regions of a must-win state. He won Dane County with roughly 76 percent of the vote in 2020. 

Republican Party of Wisconsin chair Brian Schimming said the visit is a sign Biden’s campaign is in trouble. 

“This isn’t expanding the map here. This is Joe Biden coming to 4-to-1 Madison, Wisconsin, and trying to rescue his campaign,” he said. “As this is playing out right now, this may be Joe Biden’s last appearance in Madison and in Wisconsin as a candidate.”

Biden’s last visit to Madison was in April, when he announced a student-debt forgiveness plan at Madison Area Technical College. He also visited the Madison area in February of last year.

The most recent Marquette Law School Poll, conducted before the first debate, showed Biden and former President Donald Trump tied among registered voters in Wisconsin, while Biden led Trump within the margin of error among likely voters. 

A national poll from the New York Times and Siena College taken after the debate showed Trump leading Biden 49 percent to 43 percent among likely voters.