Biden campaign sees no big change in odds he’ll get Democratic nomination

The Biden campaign sees no substantial change in the president’s prospects of securing the Democratic nomination and eventually resuscitating his campaign after another day of rough headlines, one senior campaign official and one person close to Mr. Biden tell CBS News.

A series of news reports Wednesday detailed how top Democratic congressional leaders have conveyed concerns that Mr. Biden might lose and drag down the party’s congressional and gubernatorial candidates nationwide.

But those two people say the campaign believes those reports are merely conveying what’s already known: that the president is enduring a rough stretch of presidential politics – perhaps the toughest in the modern era. 

The sources believe Mr. Biden will head back to work in the coming days after testing positive for COVID-19, likely by early next week, and continue rolling out new policy ideas.

Their theory: the leadup to the Democratic National Convention will build momentum and culminate with the biggest Democratic stars (the Clintons, the Obamas, Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff) on the brightest stage in politics, and that a well-orchestrated display of unity will lead to a boost in the president’s standing in polls and to more campaign donations.

The person close to the president dismissed as “absurd” the idea the president’s COVID diagnosis would hasten calls for his exit from the race. “Being responsible and not spreading COVID is a good thing,” the person said.

High-dollar fundraising remains a challenge for the campaign but smaller dollar donations continue. That is consistent with previous CBS News reporting that the campaign and allied super PACs are struggling to bring in larger checks as donors withhold funding until the president can display signs of a rebound.

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