Importance About 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Clyburn and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, showed up Monday night when Biden met with the group over Zoom, his first time speaking with a group of elected officials. The message many black Democrats planned to send to Biden, according to people with knowledge of the CBC’s thinking, was: “We’re with you, as always.”
Biden seems to understand the importance of CBC’s support, and the moment.
In his acceptance speech after winning the 2020 presidential election, Biden specifically thanked Black voters for resurrecting his campaign in the primaries and helping him defeat President Donald Trump.
“The African-American community has once again stood up for me. You have always stood with me and I will stand with you,” he said at the time.
Biden delivered the same message Monday night: “You have stood with me and I will continue to stand with you,” he said in a call with Black Democrats, according to two people with knowledge of his remarks.
Biden answered questions and asked CBC members for their continued support, according to two people who were on the call, a request seen as a sign of deference to a group long considered influential in guiding House Democrats’ decisions at tough times over the past few decades.
The desire to defend Biden appears to be widespread among CBC members, three people with the group said. The group is likely to issue a statement in the coming days formally endorsing Biden. Its influence could help ease concerns about Biden among Jeffries’ colleagues and influence his views on how House Democrats should respond to this unprecedented situation.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said the tone of Monday’s 35-minute virtual call was “very supportive of the president.” According to the Biden campaign, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) gave opening remarks, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) introduced Biden, and Clyburn closed the call.
“President Biden’s call tonight with the Congressional Black Caucus demonstrated his unwavering commitment to our nation’s future and his commitment to this fight. He is committed to fighting for the soul of our nation and black economic advancement, and he has consistently stood with my community, so I will be supporting him for the next four years,” Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) said in a statement.
The push to rally around Biden began with a meeting on Friday that brought together about half of the CBC, according to two people familiar with the virtual gathering. The group supports Biden’s Trump’s cancellation of his debate performance less than two weeks ago has alarmed some in the Democratic establishment, including donors, strategists and nine House Democrats, who have called on him to resign over concerns they may not be able to beat him in a November debate.
But none of the Black House Democrats have defected: No one spoke out against the president at Friday’s meeting. Indeed, in the debate’s aftermath, Black lawmakers have been some of the most vocal supporters of Biden among Democrats.
Clyburn has staunchly supported Biden but has said publicly he would be open to Harris taking over if Biden were to step down, consistent with his private comments, three people said. And Jeffries has so far managed to stave off defections among House Democrats despite widespread panic over a possible poor November election.
Members who spoke on Friday On the call, they said they were supporting Biden in large part because local black voters remain solidly behind the president (many of CBC’s members represent safe districts where Democrats win). CBC members have long argued that Black voters still support Democrats, even though polls have shown a slight decline in support for the president among Black Americans since the 2020 election.
CBC members believe Biden has been a historic president. They point to declining child poverty rates, low black unemployment, investments in historically black colleges and universities, addressing reproductive choice, investing in roads and bridges, and forgiving student loans for millions of borrowers.
Horsford issued a statement Monday defending the Biden-Harris administration amid the turmoil, echoing statements from Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).
“President Joe Biden is the nominee, elected by millions of voters across this country, including voters here in Nevada,” he said. “They know President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them, and like me, they don’t want to see Donald Trump return to the White House.”
Horsford, a front-line member representing a swing house district, spoke for himself and not on behalf of the council in his statement. CBC Overall, though, Harris’ inclusion in the statement is no coincidence: It’s a sign that the first Black woman to become vice president would have the CBC’s endorsement if Biden were to drop out of the race, according to two people.
“It sends a very strong message to anyone who wants to attack her that she has her people,” Marcus Mason of the Democratic National Committee said of CBC.
Voters in the districts they represent support Biden and don’t want their votes in the presidential primary to be overturned, members and aides say. “Black voters would rather support Biden in a wheelchair than Donald Trump in a golf cart,” Mason said.
CBC members know that their decision, especially if they choose to issue a collective statement in support of Biden, will run counter to the personal concerns of other House Democrats, especially those in battleground districts who are worried about their own reelection chances. Those tensions may come to a head on Tuesday morning, when all House Democrats meet for their weekly caucus meeting to discuss their position as a presidential candidate.
CBC often issues statements when a majority of its members agree with a particular opinion, but this does not mean that all members of the group support a particular position.
The CBC has historically been called the “conscience of Congress” because of the influence its words and actions have had on negotiations on Capitol Hill. In recent years, it was the CBC that broke the impasse between moderate and liberal House Democrats over whether to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill or combine it with a social spending bill known as “Build Back Better.” The group has proven essential to passing landmark legislation such as the Affordable Care Act and has shaped negotiations on public safety, gun reform and other measures.
Civil rights icon and former Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) led sit-ins on the House floor in 2016 to pressure Republican leaders to vote on gun control legislation, while key members of the group have shaped negotiations to pass the first assault weapons ban in decades and other legislation important to Black Americans.
The CBC is undergoing a generational change, with its membership growing to about 60. In recent years, a new generation of activists has often challenged older politicians and refused to make collective statements.
But the vast majority of CBC members, including Jeffries, have a great deal of respect for their veteran members.
“The Congressional Black Caucus has a long history and we rely on that a lot. They’ve seen a lot, they’ve been through a lot, and they have some of the most level-headed people, starting with Chairman Jeffries,” said freshman Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “So I don’t think you’re going to see any rebellion from the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, especially Chairman Jeffries.”
The CBC’s respect for seniority is another reason its members appear to be leaning toward Biden.
“I’m a member of the CBC. We respect our elders. Elders are very important to us, and Joe Biden is a elder. He embodies what it means to be a great public servant,” Johnson said.
No one on Friday’s call spoke out against the president or joined the voices of several colleagues who have called for Biden to step down. But the call did not give everyone enough time to speak, one of the people familiar with the matter said. There is a perception that not all CBC members are ready to forcefully defend Biden because of concerns that he cannot beat Trump.
Participants on the call also discussed what would happen if Biden decided to step aside alone. If that day came, members generally would be quick to endorse Harris and may organize a “war room” to defend her, as they did with Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. CBC members would try to block any efforts by other House Democrats to hold “mini-primaries” to select a candidate other than Harris. One Democrat said such behavior would be “unacceptable.”
“Once a member, always a member,” one person familiar with the conversations said of Harris, who was part of the group while in the Senate.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) said she would be “first in line to endorse” Harris if she topped the list of candidates, but only if the decision came from Biden and not Congress.
A person familiar with the CBC said the enthusiasm shown by members supporting Harris at Essence Fest, an annual gathering of Black women, last weekend was deliberate, to show the public they would always defend her, but members also enthusiastically endorsed Biden.
“People say, ‘Biden is too old,’ but the fact is, I’m older than Biden,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), 85, said to a standing ovation. “I get up every morning. I work out. I work late into the night. I take care of black people. Trump has said who he is, he has defined who he is. He is a failure, a deplorable, a liar and a despicable human being.”
“No matter what anybody says, no other Democratic candidate will be chosen. It’s going to be Biden,” Waters added.
Liz Goodwin, Mariana Alfaro and Theodoric Meyer contributed to this report.
