During a recent swing through Wisconsin, Wes Moore pointed to President Joe Biden’s efforts on health care and infrastructure as he spoke to voters about backing the Democratic ticket this fall.
For the first-term Maryland governor, Moore’s praise of the Biden administration and his engagement with voters — especially Black voters — across the Badger State couldn’t have come at a more critical time for the president.
Biden’s widely panned June debate performance sent Democrats reeling, with some in the party pressing Biden to reconsider his reelection bid while others are still assessing the situation as the party inches closer to its August convention in Chicago.
Many Democrats are also worried about an enthusiasm gap as multiple polls have shown high GOP support for former President Donald Trump compared to lagging Democratic support for Biden.
But Moore recently told Business Insider that when he traveled across swing-state Wisconsin, he saw a party that’s pumped up about November. And he stressed that polling is a “snapshot” of a small group of individuals.
“For literally every single event that we’ve gone to, there’s been triple the attendance that we anticipated when we show up at events,” the governor said.
“I was literally at the bottom of the pile when I first ran for governor in the primary. The reason I bring that up is because I just feel like we can’t over-index on polling,” he continued. “I wouldn’t let a poll get me too excited. I wouldn’t let a poll get me too down.”
For over a year, voter concerns about Biden’s reelection have often centered on the president’s age. Biden, who’s currently 81 years old, would be 82 in January 2025 and 86 at the end of a second term.
So the stakes for Biden’s debate were much higher than for many presidential candidates in the past.
Biden’s age — which was amplified by the debate and in interviews where the president has directly addressed the issue — is a concern that Moore said he’s heard from voters. But the governor said that the voters he’s spoken to are more focused on issues like the economy and reproductive rights as they look toward the general election.
“It’s not so much about the age issue … it’s the issues,” Moore said. “For voters, they’re asking: ‘Which administration actually has a vision for what I hope for in my family?'”
“That’s what I’m hearing more than anything else. It’s the issues and it’s the stakes,” he added.
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