Wisconsin Democrats back Biden after shaky debate performance

Wisconsin’s Democratic leaders supported President Joe Biden Friday, following a shaky debate performance that left some in their party openly questioning whether a new candidate should take his place.

During the first presidential debate Thursday night, Biden lost his train of thought at times and spoke with a noticeably raspy voice. The president’s campaign said he had a cold.

Former President Donald Trump spoke louder and more forcefully, but spread falsehoods about finishing the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, downplayed the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. capitol and described the America as a “failing nation.”

After the debate was over, however, much of the focus was on Biden, with national Democratic commentators questioning whether their party should replace the president with a younger candidate at the top of the ticket.

“He had one thing he had to accomplish, and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age,” said former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri on MSNBC. “He failed at that tonight.”

“There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue,” Democratic operative David Axelrod told CNN.

The day after the debate, Wisconsin Democrats weren’t sounding the same alarms in their own public comments.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Ben Wikler told WPR it was a “tough debate, no question” and that he wished somebody would have given Biden a lozenge on the debate stage Thursday night.

Wikler said his goal is to ensure voters see many different moments “in the campaigning arc of Joe Biden,” like his energetic speech after the debate and his rally in North Carolina Friday morning.

“For folks that are wavering and got nervous during the debate, go watch Biden in North Carolina and think about how effective he is when he’s out on the campaign trail,” Wikler said. “The second thing I’d say is that you can’t wring your hands when you’re rolling up your sleeves, and this election is one where all of us can play a starring role in making sure that democracy survives and Biden is reelected.”

Democratic state Rep. Jodi Emerson of Eau Claire responded on Facebook Friday morning to social media posts from people stating they won’t be voting at all in the upcoming election. She said the election isn’t just about Biden and Trump.

“So please don’t stay home,” Emerson wrote. “You might not like the top of the ticket but the rest of the ticket is fighting for a women’s right to control her own body, public school funding, clean water, saving our land, affordable housing, affordable childcare, making sure our communities are safe and welcoming to all, and making sure we are building a world that our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren can live in and thrive in.”

In a written statement, Gov. Tony Evers supported Biden, saying Trump “is a dangerous threat to our democracy” who is “incapable of being honest.”

“I’ll be voting for President Biden this November because I believe he’s a man of integrity,” Evers said. 

Still, the Associated Press reported that Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is also up for reelection this year, distanced herself from Biden and didn’t answer questions about his debate performance.

“Tammy Baldwin is running her own race for the people of Wisconsin,” Baldwin campaign spokesperson Andrew Mamo told the AP. “Her focus will always be on showing up across the state, listening to working Wisconsinites, and fighting to make their lives better.”

Wisconsin Republicans have a field day with Biden’s debate performance

Wisconsin Republicans were far more critical of Biden’s flubs, questioning whether he was still fit to serve as president.

In a written statement to WPR, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he hopes Biden’s performance “made it clear to voters that we are a country without a President.”

“It is sad at best and terrifying at worst, that the safety of our nation rests with someone who clearly is cognitively incapable of protecting us,” Vos said.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said the debate “was not about Joe Biden’s ability to get through an hour and a half debate.”

“It was about whether he can make it through another four years as Commander in Chief,” Schimming said in a statement. “Biden demonstrated he is incapable of either.”

A post from Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du Chien claimed that anyone “who blindly votes for Biden or any other Democratic candidate pushed forward at this point is a member of a cult.”

A fundraising email from Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald of Clyman sent Friday said “Biden could barely put two words together.”

“It’s clear that his cognitive abilities have taken a nosedive,” Fitzgerald said.

Trump and Biden have five months to shore up their support before the November general election. The Republican National Convention is set to begin July 15 in Milwaukee, with the Democratic National Convention beginning Aug. 19 in Chicago. 

The latest polling from the Marquette University Law School showed Biden and Trump virtually tied in Wisconsin with a 50-50 split among registered voters.