Special Politics Report: What San Diego Democratic Delegates Think

By Jakob McWhinney, the Voice of San Diego

July 15, 2024

In the weeks since President Joe Biden’s faltering performance in his first debate against former President Donald Trump stoked voters’ longstanding misgivings about his age and mental acuity, Democrats nationwide have been panicking. From George Clooney to elected officials to a coterie of podcasters and columnists, many in the Democratic cognoscenti have called on Biden to step aside.

San Diego’s own Rep. Scott Peters announced Thursday it was time for that. Friday morning, Rep. Mike Levin finished a call with the president, during which he reportedly told the president directly to step away from the campaign, and issued a public statement saying it as well.

As of Friday, one U.S. Senator and 19 Democratic Congressmembers had publicly asked Biden to drop out of the presidential race.

“The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course. My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him,” Peters wrote in a statement.

Many more party luminaries have expressed concern about Biden’s candidacy, some repeatedly calling on him to decide — soon — what he was going to do. Biden has insisted that he has decided: He’s going to stay in the race. And then more people tell him to decide — soon — what he’s going to do.

If he does decide to step away from the campaign, it would set in motion something the country hasn’t seen in 56 years, since the last time the Democrats had a convention in Chicago, in 1968: The delegates would decide who is their nominee for president.

The delegates: Members of Congress, podcasters and movie stars, however handsome, aren’t the ones who officially pick the presidential nominee for a party like the Democratic Party. That role belongs to the delegates Biden secured in the (largely uncompetitive) primary elections held across the country.

Since 1968, those delegates have acted mostly as a rubber stamp to the nominee.

If Biden steps away, their job in the presidential nominee selection will go from largely ceremonial to uncertain and historic pretty quickly. They would suddenly find themselves with many new friends and a massive new responsibility. Even if Biden threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, unless all the other presidential hopefuls deferred to her, the delegates would have to make the choice. It could lead to many votes at the Convention.

There are 32 delegates going to the convention from San Diego County. We reached out to as many of them as we could and asked what they were feeling in this moment. The majority are still all in on Biden and believe he not only can beat Donald Trump, but that he’s the best candidate for the job.

But the responses were interesting.

We asked delegates five questions:

Of San Diego County’s 32 delegates, only 16 agreed to speak. We assured them we would not use their names so we could get candid opinions without fear of reprisals.

Of the 16 we spoke to, 11 said Biden was still the best person to beat Trump. When asked if they think Biden can beat Trump in November, 12 said “yes,” three said “no,” and one was unsure.

When it came to the question of whether they had concerns about Biden’s mental acuity, we got a range of answers. Two delegates said they were concerned, three said they were concerned about voters’ perceptions of Biden’s mental acuity, eight said they had no concerns and two were not comfortable answering the question.

As far as who they’d like to see replace Biden were he to drop out of the race, we received a smattering of likely suspects: California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren to name a few.

But the overwhelming favorite among delegates and the “logical next choice,” as one person put it, was Vice President Kamala Harris. Delegates brought up the question of the campaign coffers, and how switching to Harris would be the easiest way to keep funds raised thus far.

But to one delegate who now had misgivings about Biden’s candidacy, even with a change, the outlook in November is bleak.

“I would support Kamala Harris, but I don’t think she would win either,” they said.

Those who still think Biden is best suited to take on Trump trust his judgment that he’s fit enough to stay in the race, they said.

“Joe Biden is the most progressive president we’ve had in 50 years … He’s the best labor president in history. So, can I think of anyone that I would trust more? Especially with someone that’s now got a three-and-a-half-year record as president?” one delegate said. “The answer would be no, I can’t think of anyone better right now.”

Even if delegates had misgivings, which some did, many felt it was far too late to effectively make a change. He was also the only person who’s ever beaten Trump, they said. And if the contest is between Trump and Biden, even an infirm Biden, the choice was a no-brainer.

“We’re in a political climate where if we replace him with anyone else it would show weakness. As democrats, we have to stick to our guns and show what we’ve accomplished and keep pushing forward … If he’s on life support, I’m still gonna’ vote for him,” one delegate said.

Among those who were still supportive of the president, only two said they had some manner of concerns about his mental acuity. He’s older, sure, and slower, but they mostly weren’t buying what they viewed as media narratives around his mental fitness, even if they weren’t always impressed by his performances.

“It’s frustrating because there are moments when he’s on top of his game and there are moments when he puts his foot in his mouth. But that’s also been the case for his entire political career. Even with the gaffes I still know he is capable of doing this because we all lived through the absolute chaos that was Trump’s first term,” one delegate said.

Many of the delegates had the same answer when asked what could change their mind about Biden being the best man for the job: Biden.

“Only Joe could get me to change my mind. If Joe decided that it was better for our cause, which is to protect and preserve our democracy … I would defer to his judgment,” one delegate said.

Ultimately, most felt the successes of Biden’s first term and the danger posed by Trump Project 2025 would convince voters pull the lever for him, even if they’re not happy about it.

“When Democrats talk about what’s at stake in this November, I think people will get in line and support whoever our Democratic nominee is,” one delegate said.

For the delegates who no longer believe Biden is the best one to take on Trump, the doubts are deep. They say too much is at stake in the upcoming election to stick with him, especially given the concerns that have piled on.

We reached one delegate on Thursday afternoon, during Biden’s much-hyped post-NATO summit press conference.

“I’m listening to his press conference right now. This is my final straw,” they said. They’d hoped that after the debate, Biden would hit the campaign trail hard. Do local interviews, diner drop-ins and become a mainstay on the Sunday shows. They wanted him to show the debate was “a fluke and not a condition.”

But Biden has done nothing to allay their concerns, they said.

“And I think the reason he hasn’t done more is because he can’t. [The NATO press conference] was supposed to be the thing that proved he could do this but it also hasn’t.” They pointed to the multiple flubs Biden had made that day, like referring to Trump as his vice president, as evidence.

The delegate said one of the reasons Biden has been such a successful politician throughout his career is that he had “a real skill at retail politics.” For decades, he’s been “Scranton Joe,” a blue-collar backslapper able to connect to voters on a deep, human level.

“But that strength is eroding before our eyes because he’s now seen as someone who doesn’t take advice from others, doesn’t recognize his own limitations and is being very stubborn and obstinate and not acknowledging a reality that is plain to see for everyone else,” the delegate said.

Still, many of the delegates who had misgivings about Biden’s candidacy viewed him favorably. He’s a good person, they felt, and a good president. He meant well. But meaning well didn’t mean he was right for this moment.

“I just don’t think he’s the best person to lead. And I think it if you live outside of a democratic bubble, you kind of realize that, ‘Oh, shoot, a lot of Republicans want Joe Biden stay in the race because they think that they can beat him,’” one delegate said.

What they all wanted to see going forward was a more vigorous campaign. One that could convince voters Biden was not only the better candidate, but also that he was prepared to serve another four years. They hoped it would turn the tide, but they weren’t holding their breath. The hole dug by Biden’s debate performance, and the firestorm of media coverage and critiques by fellow elected Democrats that followed, was incredibly deep.

To some, it was insurmountable.

“The damage has been done and it’s irreparable,” one delegate said. “It’s too late to fix.”

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