Pelosi and Schiff raise questions over Biden’s age

Presented by American Clean Power California: Inside the Golden State political arena

Jul 08, 2024 View in browser   By Dustin Gardiner, Mia McCarthy and Lara Korte Presented by  Rep. Adam Schiff and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have recently raised questions about President Joe Biden's age after a rough debate performance. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP THE BUZZ: SENDING A SIGNAL — As President Joe Biden tries to tamp down Democrats’ concerns about his age and ability to defeat Donald Trump, two of California’s most prominent Democrats are entertaining doubts: Reps. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi. Schiff, during an interview on “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, said Biden’s disastrous debate performance has rightfully raised questions about whether he has the “vigor” to win against Trump, especially given the stakes for democracy in America. Schiff said the only reason that Biden isn’t “mopping the floor” with Trump — a convicted felon — is his age. “This is about whether this country remains a democracy, whether we veer off into some kind of pseudo dictatorship. Everything's riding on this,” Schiff told host Kristen Welker. Schiff, who’s all-but-guaranteed to be California’s next senator, is now perhaps the state’s most vocal establishment Democrats to suggest that Biden, 81, should step down. But he’s not the first Golden State party leader to frame the question in such existential terms. Pelosi, Schiff’s mentor and the former speaker of the House, said in an interview last week that concerns about Biden’s mental fitness are a “legitimate question” considering the threat Trump poses to democracy. Pelosi, who almost never criticizes fellow Democrats, was less pointed than Schiff and she said Biden has been at the top of his game in their conversations. But she used strikingly similar language about the stakes of his candidacy relative to the November election. “[Trump] is undermining our democracy, and he must be stopped,” Pelosi told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. Pelosi and Schiff both said the presidential candidates should be willing to take a cognitive test — something that Biden has flatly ruled out. The speaker emerita even said it’s legitimate to question whether his performance was “an episode or is this a condition?” In a statement Sunday night, Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager downplayed her questioning: “Speaker Pelosi has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025.” But Schiff and Pelosi, longtime allies who often work in tandem, rarely make a move that isn’t strategic, and isn't calculated in terms of its message to national party leaders. That’s why their comments could widely be interpreted as a signal to party establishment figures that two of California’s standard bearers are open to change. It’s telling that Schiff didn’t hide his support for Vice President Kamala Harris, if Biden does step aside: “I think she could win overwhelmingly,” he told Welker, adding there is no need to focus on that question yet. There’s now an emerging split among top California Democrats over how to respond to the Biden age question. Gov. Gavin Newsom — who campaigned for the president in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire over the holiday weekend — has unequivocally dismised questions about Biden’s fitness. In Pittsburgh, Newsom told party activists to “worry less, do more” as he spoke at the opening of a field campaign office. Sen. Alex Padilla, who Schiff will serve with if he is elected, was also unequivocal during an interview on NBC’s “The Weekend,” though he said that Biden needs to do more spontaneous events to secure voters’ confidence. “Let's get Joe out there at public events, at homes, being a little bit more unscripted,” Padilla said. Padilla mentioned that he spoke to Biden over the weekend — a rarity as many Democrats say they haven’t heard directly from the White House or Biden in the debate aftermath. But there are rumblings on Capitol Hill that more Democrats could speak out with concerns this week. On Sunday afternoon, California Rep. Mark Takano, another close Pelosi ally, was one of four members who called for Biden to step down during a private call organized by House Democratic leadership, as our colleagues in D.C. reported. There’s only six weeks left until Democrats’ nominating convention in Chicago, so this next week could be crucial for Biden’s trajectory. GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. We hope you had a nice holiday weekend. You can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Campaigning for Biden in New Hampshire. Newsom is expected to return to California later in the day. A message from American Clean Power California: It’s time for California to go big on offshore wind to meet our climate goals. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) must advance California’s clean energy leadership and set a clear course for procuring 10 GW of offshore wind by 2035. Now is the time to secure California’s offshore wind future to meet our climate goals. Click here to learn more about why the CPUC must plan for 10 GW by 2035.   CAMPAIGN YEAR Gov. Gavin Newsom. | Francis Chung/POLITICO HOW CALIFORNIA PLAYS IN WISCONSIN — Not great, according to two Biden canvassers from Milwaukee who spoke to Playbook in Madison, Wisconsin during the president’s visit to the battleground state last week. That’s a warning sign for Newsom, whose name continues to be floated as a potential contender for the 2024 Democratic nomination as calls grow for Biden to step aside. “I really associate his name with California, and I think California doesn’t have a very good reputation right now,” said Sue Tomen, 67, who cited the state’s recent population decline as evidence. “I have a hard time thinking that the moderate Democrats, uncommitted, independent voters would find it easy to [support] him.” Tomen and fellow canvasser Richard TenHoor, 77, seem to reflect broader skepticism about California outside the state. A February survey from the Los Angeles Times found 50 percent of U.S. adults thought the Golden State was in decline, and an overwhelming share – nearly 9 in 10 — said the state is too expensive. Even among Democrats, 30 percent said the state is “too liberal.” Tomen worried Newsom’s low popularity among even Californians (47 percent approval compared to 52 percent disapproval, according to a June nonpartisan poll) would be cannon fodder for Trump. “He doesn’t even have the support of his own electorate,” she said. Interestingly, the duo didn’t associate Harris with California despite the VP’s deep Golden State roots. Tomen and TenHoor (both native Michiganders) each had Harris at the top of their shortlist of possible Biden substitutes, as well as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Both cited Harris’ widespread name recognition as an advantage over Whitmer, though Tomen worried past negative press coverage could haunt the VP. She said it would be "crucial" Harris picks a strong running mate to compensate for the same poor approval ratings that plague Biden. — Tyler Katzenberger   A message from American Clean Power California:   ON THE AGENDA — Welcome to the first week of the Legislature’s summer recess! Lawmakers return Aug. 5 for the final month of their session. How are you spending your summer recess? Drop us a line via email, text or tweet. We just might feature a few shout-outs in Playbook.   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.     California's heat wave led to a record high of 124 degrees in Palm Springs over the weekend. | Mario Tama/Getty Images TOP TALKERS — A prolonged heat wave baked California over the holiday weekend, leading to a record high of 124 degrees in Palm Springs on Friday. The heatwave had subsided in much of Southern California by Sunday, but the Northern half of the state continues to hit scorching temperatures that could exacerbate wildfire conditions. (Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle) — Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are taking entirely different approaches on safety protections for workers as their states confront extreme heat. California’s governor has favored union-backed safeguards while DeSantis has opposed heat rules. “Workers don’t have the same rights in Florida that they have in California,” said Lorena Gonzalez, head of the California Labor Federation. (POLITICO) A message from American Clean Power California: It’s time for California to go big on offshore wind and set a clear path for procuring 10 GW by 2035 to meet our climate and clean energy goals. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is facing a critical decision on offshore wind planning that will either enable the industry to scale or jeopardize the state’s reliability and 100% clean energy goals. The CPUC must advance California’s clean energy leadership and set a clear path for procuring 10 GW of offshore wind by 2035. Planning for offshore wind at scale will drive port and transmission upgrades, supply chain readiness, and project development to yield the benefits of thousands of jobs, energy reliability, and long-term affordability. Click here to learn more about why the CPUC must plan for 10 GW by 2035.   AROUND THE STATE — New allegations of sexual assault are rocking the San Francisco Democratic Party, as new party leaders try to lead a cultural shift. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Many Californians have found cheaper and larger homes by moving inland to communities like Mountain House. The tradeoff has been coping with soaring summer temperatures. (The New York Times) — A shrub, known as the Jurupa Oak, is estimated to be the third-oldest organism on Earth. But environmentalists say the Oak could be doomed by a new housing and business development in Riverside County. (The Washington Post) — San Diego’s proposed warehouse shelter would be one of the largest in the country. But operating a single, massive homeless shelter has created extra challenges in other cities. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Alexander Brase is joining Newsom's office as deputy director of digital. He previously was with American Bridge and is a DCCC and Kansas Democratic Party alum. — Geo Saba, chief of staff for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), is leaving to do a JD/MBA at Stanford. He’ll join Khanna's campaign as a senior adviser. Marie Baldassarre, Khanna’s communications director, will become chief of staff. Kevin Fox has been promoted to be deputy chief of staff and continues as legislative director while Sarah Drory will move up to be communications director. — Derek Jansen has joined Mercury Public Affairs to lead the firm’s expansion into the Sacramento government relations and political market. He previously was with the Sacramento firm We Are RALLY and is a NextGen Climate alum. PUT A RING ON IT — Assemblymember Akilah Weber last week announced her engagement to Andrew Pierson.  — Alexander Eberhardt, a law student at American University Washington College of Law, proposed to Morgan McCue, senior legislative assistant to Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). The couple met in 2018 while working together in San Diego and got engaged on the 17-Mile Drive in California. Pic BIRTHDAYS — Marianne Williamson … Reuters’ Steve Holland … Bill Hinkle … Christian Sherrill … Molly Spaeth … Doug Belkin … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Thursday): Michael Milken … former Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) … Lanhee Chen … Dustin Todd … Malia Obama … (was Friday): former Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) … Qualcomm’s Angela Baker … (was Saturday): Apple’s Nick Ammann … Cathy Zheutlin … (was Sunday): Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) … Luther Lowe … Randy James … Jordan Curley WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO’s California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form. CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Rebecca Haase to find out how: rhaase@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Dustin Gardiner @dustingardiner Lara Korte @lara_korte   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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