The first presidential debate sparked strong reactions, and Evercore analysts have been closely monitoring the responses from pundits, the press, President Biden's campaign, senior Democrats loyal to Biden, financial support trends, and particularly the polls.
After assessing these factors for the past two days, Evercore now believes there is a chance of more than 60% that President Joe Biden may withdraw from the race in the near future.
Although pundits and the press remain highly critical of the President, significant attention has been drawn to statements from staunch allies like Pelosi and Clyburn, who publicly acknowledged on Tuesday that there are legitimate questions following the debate.
Some party members have been more direct in stating that it is time for the party to move forward. While grassroots fundraising remains strong, the sentiment among top donors has turned notably negative.
“While the Biden inner circle has stated this is not for the press or fundraisers to decide, it is becoming clearer that they too don’t have a plan to recover, particularly as polls will continue to emerge that will show damage,” Evercore’s team wrote.
“Biden plans to sit for an interview with ABC later this week, but this is unlikely to be enough,” they added.