How swing state Dems are grappling with Biden debate debacle

Editor’s note: With one week having passed since President Biden’s shocking performance in the first of two scheduled debates against former President Donald Trump, The Post takes the pulse of Democratic officials in four states that hold the key to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.ArizonaIn the immediate aftermath of the June 27 CNN debate, Democrats in the Grand Canyon State tried to shift the focus from the president to his predecessor.“Tonight, we saw an unhinged, disgraced former president obsess over his election loss while pushing false claims to undermine our democracy,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano said in a statement .“President Biden was the clear winner of tonight’s debate, outlining a positive vision for our country and state, not a vendetta for revenge.“President Biden is fighting for our fundamental freedoms, while Donald Trump has invested no time in earning the votes of Arizonans, has threatened to be a dictator on ‘day one,’ promised tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy, and is attacking reproductive rights.”Gov.

Katie Hobbs had a more subdued take three days later, telling KPNX-TV’s “Sunday Square Off” that “I am not a fan of debates” before borrowing one of Biden’s preferred lines.“I know the pundits like to talk about them, and I’ll leave that to you.” Hobbs said.“As the president himself has said, don’t compare him to the Almighty.

Compare him to the alternative.And by that metric, the choice is abundantly clear in this race.”Hobbs attended Wednesday night’s crunch meeting between Biden and nearly two dozen Democratic governors virtually, but had yet to issue a statement supporting the president as of noon Thursday.

Biden became just the second Democrat since 1952 to win Arizona four years ago, but the RealClearPolitics polling average shows Trump leading by an average of 5.6 percentage points in a head-to-head matchup.–Cameron ArcandMichiganDemocrats in the Mitten State have been sp...