In the moments after the presidential debate, Democratic surrogates — including U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — used their time in the spin room to shift focus to the president’s policies rather than his performance.
Even Vice President Kamala Harris called Biden’s debate performance a “slow start,” emphasizing that his debate performance shouldn’t overshadow his record in office.
”What we saw tonight was the president making a very clear contrast,” she told CNN, adding, “people can debate on style points but ultimately this election and who is the president has to be about substance.”
On the spin room floor, Democratic surrogates repeatedly avoided questions from the press about whether they thought Biden should step aside and let someone else run. Instead, they emphasized that policy is the most significant factor distinguishing Biden from Trump.
“I think you all are talking about style,” Warnock said. “The people I’m talking to in the state of Georgia, they’re not focused on style. They’re thinking about their families. They’re thinking about whether or not they can afford childcare so they can get to work.”
This was originally published on our Live Updates page.
