Democratic governors vow to stand with Biden after shaky debate performance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Democratic governors of New York, Minnesota and Maryland on Wednesday said they would support President Joe Biden's reelection bid after a candid discussion with him about his weak performance in last week's debate.

"The president has always had our backs. We're going to have his back as well," Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters after a meeting with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House that included 24 Democratic governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C., some joining online.

Moore said the governors were frank in relaying negative feedback from constituents about Biden's poor performance during the debate with Republican rival Donald Trump. He said there was clearly work to do before the Nov. 5 election, but Biden had made it clear he would stay in the race.

"The president ... he's our nominee. The president is our party leader," Moore said. There has been growing talk among Democrats in recent days that 81-year-old Biden should drop out of the race.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she felt confident after the meeting and all the governors pledged their support to Biden. The president is "in it to win it," she said.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said Biden's debate performance on Thursday was bad but he felt Biden was fit for office.

"Obviously we, like many Americans, are a little worried. We're worried because the threat of a Trump presidency is not theoretical," Walz said, adding that the previous Trump presidency was marked by "chaos, destruction."

Nearly a dozen of the state leaders attended the meeting in person, but only three spoke with reporters afterwards.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who participated in person, posted his reaction on social platform X: "I heard three words from the President tonight -- he’s all in. And so am I."

Biden's campaign said the president reiterated his determination "to defeat the existential threat of Donald Trump at the ballot box in November" and discussed the importance of electing Democrats up and down the ballot.

"All participants reiterated their shared commitment to do everything possible to make sure President Biden and Vice President Harris beat Donald Trump in November," it said

(Reporting by Andrea Shala and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)