Montgomery County’s Democratic leaders express continuing support for President Biden

NORRISTOWN — Montgomery County Democratic leaders say they remain supportive of President Joe Biden after Thursday night’s presidential debate despite questions about Biden’s fitness as a candidate against former President Donald Trump.

“I went into the debate really proud to continue to support President Biden,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder. “Despite all the news coming out about his performance, I still lean in on his record and the work that he’s doing to support everyday Americans. While the debate I think wasn’t his strongest showing, [I] still stand behind the work he’s done and will continue to do for the American people.”

Montgomery County Democratic Committee Chairman Jason Salus agreed.

“I expected the president to lay out his record, and I think he did that. I think he gave voters who were paying attention to the substance, I think he filled in a lot of those details,” Salus said.

Republican Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello watched Thursday night’s debate with a differing opinion to his Democratic counterparts after reviewing the Friday morning news cycle.

“I think that there is an undertone out there that Montgomery County is going to be a lot closer with the results, the final vote between President Trump or President Biden and … Montgomery County is pivotal in whoever wins Pennsylvania, and I think that even after last night’s performance, I think President Trump is going to be a lot closer to the number, a lot closer votes, than originally anticipated,” DiBello said.

Montgomery County results from the 2020 election showed Biden with 319,511 votes to Trump’s 185,460 votes, according to the election summary report.

Winder said she attended a debate watch party Thursday evening at the Montgomery County Democratic Committee headquarters in East Norriton Township, an event organized by the Biden-Harris campaign.

“The general feedback is, look, Trump and Biden both had their challenges,” Winder said. “They looked a little different, but they both had their challenges on that debate stage.”

“But the energy in the room – there was a sense of pride,” she continued, describing the local watch party. “People that were in that room know [Biden’s] record … and I think the reaction as I’ve talked to a couple of people is that they’d bet on Biden any day over Donald Trump because he’s got a strong moral compass, he cares about our American values and he’s got the track record and the team behind him to continue to deliver on his promises to the American people.”

“A lot of what’s being reported is they didn’t think he did a very good job,” DiBello said of President Biden. “He definitely showed his age, and they were concerned about many things. I thought President Trump … a lot of what’s being reported is he’s doing a good job, he did a decent job.”

“The bottom line in the performance is we have a president who again laid out his record of accomplishment, and a former president who when asked three or four times whether he’d honor the results of the election refused to say yes. The contrast could not be more clear,” Salus said.

When asked about Trump’s answer to whether or not he’d accept the election results, DiBello stressed his expectations to work to ensure voter confidence from constituents in Montgomery County. DiBello added that “I’ve always stated that … if I can stand with 100 percent confidence behind the results I … will vote to certify the election.”

On a higher political level, former Montgomery County Democratic leader Gov. Josh Shapiro has been speaking on behalf of Biden in televised interviews with several major outlets.

“I would say to all those folks who are worrying out there right now, start working and stop worrying,” Shapiro said in a CNN interview Friday morning from Harrisburg. “There is a clear contrast in this race and in many ways even though there’s two gentlemen on the ballot Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I think this election is more a referendum on all of us and whether in this nation we still value freedom … Joe Biden promises more freedom; Donald Trump promises less.”

Shapiro is among Democrats being talked about on the national stage, and Winder and Salus applauded  his political career, rising through the ranks from state representative, county commissioner, attorney general, and now governor.

“Gov. Shapiro is currently a leader in the national Democratic party,” Salus said, adding “I think more and more people in Pennsylvania, the region and the country are tuning into that, and we’re fortunate to have him as the face of the party.”

Winder agreed.

“I’m really excited for Gov. Shapiro’s future,” she said. “He’s done an amazing job for Pennsylvanians and his home county, Montgomery County, and I know that his future is bright, and whatever that looks like, [we are] always happy to support our governor because he’s doing great things for Pennsylvanians.”

Leaving that debate, Montgomery County dignitaries underscored they have their work cut out for them with less than five months until the general election on Nov. 5. As of Friday, a New York Times poll recorded Trump leading in the polls with 48 percent to Biden’s 46 percent.

Salus and Winder emphasized the importance of voter outreach, as county Democrats aim to mobilize the hundreds of affiliated Democratic committee members.

“They’re ready to get to work. They know how high the stakes are,” Salus said.

Winder is a delegate and will be heading to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention in August. One of her takeaways from Thursday’s show was her apprehensions surrounding Trump.

“I would say people are concerned if Donald Trump gets elected again. That’s a real concern for me,” Winder said. “It’s a real concern for my colleagues, and my friends, and we know to win elections, it takes work.”

“It’s going to require, especially in Pennsylvania, especially in Montgomery County, that we pull all the levers that we can avail ourselves to get people out to vote,” she continued. “If we want to win elections, we’ve got to ensure that … what we’re doing on the ground to ensure that candidate gets over the finish line.”

DiBello for his part stressed the trio of county commissioners have opted to not let partisan politics get in the way of governing in the state’s third most populous county. “I know both parties are working hard for their candidates, as I am working hard for President Trump, which is to be expected from the positions that we’re in …” DiBello said.

“As county commissioners, the three of us, we’re representing both parties, and we both have our perspective of who’d we like to see win, but that’s not trickling into what we’re doing for the community, or the residents, or voters of Montgomery County,” DiBello said. “We’re still continuing to work extremely hard for everyone as a three-person team, and we will continue to do that — even though we might not align politically on who we believe the president of the United States [should be].”

Montgomery County voters have until Oct. 21 to register to vote, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website. Those interested in voting by mail must request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29. All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. when the polls close on Election Day. Visit the Montgomery County Office of Voter Services website for more information.