July 10, 2024, presidential debate and election news

Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin said he was “very concerned” about President Joe Biden’s chances in November, but downplayed Democratic defections and said he would support Biden going forward.

Asked if he thought Biden should withdraw from the Democratic nomination, Durbin maintained his support.

“Well, you know, at this point, I think he’s got a strong campaign and a strong message to deliver. And I think he’s going to move forward, I’m going to support him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters, Durbin was also asked to respond to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments this morning supporting “whatever” Biden decides to do.

Durbin said he had not seen the comments, but responded: “The honest answer is he is our candidate for president. He has made it clear that he is going to continue in that role. I think our top priority has to be defeating Donald Trump.”

Durbin also chafed at media coverage of Democrats’ continued division over their presidential candidate.

“You know, the fact is, this is the number one issue, and it has been for the last 10 or 12 days. The reality is that the American people, many of them, don’t understand why we stop and focus on this issue instead of focusing on the issues that are important to their families,” he said.

Asked about the seven House Democrats who have so far called on Biden to resign, Durbin replied: “Seven out of how many?”

Asked about Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet’s comments on CNN last night that Biden could lose in a landslide to Donald Trump, Durbin said: “That’s Michael’s conclusion. I believe if we run the right campaign and highlight what we’ve accomplished under this president, we will see him reelected.”

Durbin urged Biden to “run an aggressive campaign and get his message out to the people,” and echoed his criticism of the media. “He’s certainly tried, but it seems like at least in the last 12 or 14 days there’s been some other problems,” Durbin said.