will he or won't he stay in the race that's the question plaguing Democrats and President Joe Biden as poll numbers continue to Signal a lack of voter confidence in the president's abilities to finish out this race for reelection and beat former president Donald Trump several high-ranking Democrats are now calling for Biden to step aside yet the president remains defiant senior political correspondent David Cruz gets reaction from political analysts here in New Jersey I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence I don't think he knows what he said either you could have really turned your sets off right there and many Democrats did their worst fears an impaired commanderin-chief performing so poorly that even Trump's most flagrant falsehoods slip through the grasp of the sometimes bewildered moderators it was bad it was painful I had to walk out for part of it and listen to it because I couldn't actually watch it um it was awful and anybody who tells you that it wasn't awful is absolutely deceiving themselves uh or spinning you in ways that I think are unhelpful to both President Biden and to the Democratic party Democratic strategist Julie rinsky was trying to be generous she's a Biden fan from way back and calls him the most successful president of her lifetime but she's like a lot of Democrats who seemed shocked at what appeared to be the president's decline at the debate and even in the subsequent interview with ABC News she says someone's got to change the narrative surrounding the president's campaign quick I hope it's Joe Biden I love him I think he's been a successful president a very successful president but if he can't do it good God he's got to look in the mirror and say I need to step aside because there are things in this life that are more important than personal ego personal ambition it was just that kind of talk the president was trying to squelch today with the letter to fellow Democrats saying he was firmly committed to staying in the race and that they should buck up and buckle up Democratic strategist James G agrees saying Biden has been counted out before I got a weird take on this right so my worst fear is that Trump is not the candidate I believe Joe Biden can beat Trump and my worst fear is that something happens and Trump is not available because I'm not sure Biden can beat anybody else but I know he can beat Trump and so in a weird way I'm like maybe Biden did this as a Jedi mind trick that would be some 3D chess but it's more likely that Democrats and the rest of the country can expect Biden to have some good days and some bad days but voters that very small percentage of whom haven't already made up their minds have expressed their concerns about Biden before says pollster Ashley coning two very different sides of the story between the media and what the polls say right now versus what the administration is saying and so you know President Biden has certainly remained defiant that he's going to remain in the race has certainly talked to Democrats in Congress written a letter to them but a very different picture when we're talking about the voters in the mass public and of course those who are up for election in the fall are concerned of how that's going to affect them down ballot and many Democrats in New Jersey say their bottom line if Biden can't turn it around is preserving the Senate and key House Seats meanwhile Biden will be in Italy for the G7 Summit hoping that fellow Democrats will hold their fire while he's on the world stage but it's still unclear if when he gets back he will face a party unified behind him or unified in their belief that it's time for someone else I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight News [Music]