Kansas Gov. Kelly backs Biden amid alarm from Democrats over age, weak debate performance

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, on Tuesday said she supports President Joe Biden amid calls for the 81-year-old chief executive to end his campaign after a weak debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

The debate last week brought a renewed surge of attention to Biden’s age, as some Democrats questioned whether Biden, already the oldest president in history, is capable of serving another four-year term. The Biden campaign has acknowledged the president didn’t do well but has dismissed calls to drop out as overblown.

“While I have not been shy about standing up to Washington when it’s wrong for Kansas, the President’s record of delivering bipartisan results speaks for itself,” Kelly said in a statement. “His efforts will continue to allow Kansas to recruit more manufacturing businesses, rebuild our infrastructure, and stand up for our fundamental freedoms. He is a decent man of strong character. I will support him in November.”

Kelly’s office sent The Star the statement less than two hours after the governor didn’t answer reporter questions about Biden following a ceremonial bill signing in Holton. A spokesperson said the statement was originally released on Friday following the debate.

After Kelly answered several questions related to taxes, an aide called last question and Kelly answered a question about her political action committee. The Star then asked the governor whether she has concerns about Biden’s fitness to be the Democratic nominee.

“I think she called it,” Kelly said, referring to the aide, and walked away.

The New York Times and CNN reported Tuesday that Democratic governors held a conference call on Monday to discuss the presidential race. The Times also reported that the White House is planning a call on Wednesday for Democratic governors. Kelly didn’t respond to a question about whether she had participated in the Monday call.

Kansas is not a competitive presidential state for Democrats. Trump won the state with 56% of the vote in both 2020 and 2016.

But Democratic governors collectively hold significant sway over the party as a whole, and several would-be candidates to replace Biden if he drops out are governors. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California are all frequently mentioned as potential contenders, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and other members of the Biden administration.

Since taking office in 2019, Kelly has often sidestepped questions about national political controversies, saying she is focused on Kansas. The reluctance to regularly discuss national politics has come as the Democratic governor navigates a conservative-leaning state with a Republican-controlled Legislature.

The past week has brought a political earthquake, however. Biden’s rough debate performance, along with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that presidents enjoy substantial immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts has further raised the stakes of the election for Democrats. Trump and his supporters promise mass deportations, sharp tariff hikes and widespread firings of civil servants if he wins in November.

“The debate performance was rough,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, told reporters, illustrating the alarm in Democratic circles.

“It was a very bad night for the president. But he is still the candidate – only he can make decisions about his future candidacy, so as long as he continues to be in the race, I support him.”

No major Democratic official in the Kansas City area has called on Biden to step aside. Former Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, said on MSNBC after the debate that she was “heartbroken by Biden’s debate performance and acknowledged that there was a conversation about whether Biden should step aside.

Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander on social media said that voters have made clear they don’t want a Biden-Trump rematch. He also said that if Biden stays in the race, “I’ll do all I can for him, just like I did before.”

Some elected Democrats have staunchly backed Biden. “The die is not cast based on a poor debate performance,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, said last week.