THANK YOU, NEXT: New York Democrats in competitive races are largely avoiding the question of whether President Joe Biden should step aside and give the Democratic nomination to someone else. After his halting debate performance last week, private discussions in Democratic circles in the Beltway have increasingly revolved around whether the president should step down. So far, though, Biden has indicated he’s not going anywhere. But in New York — a state where six competitive House seats may decide control of the chamber and the fate of the country — the Dems are mostly silent. Wary of both alienating themselves from the national party or appearing disingenuous with independent voters, battleground Democrats in New York sidestepped, or flat-out ignored us, when Playbook asked them the question on everyone’s mind: Does Joe need to go? “If there is anyone who should drop out of the Presidential race, it is the convicted felon who tried to overturn the election and wants to criminalize abortion, give more tax breaks to big corporations, and gut Social Security,” Rep. Pat Ryan told Playbook in a statement. He didn’t answer the question of whether Biden should drop out, too. Ryan faces a tough reelection for a Hudson Valley seat he won by just three points two years ago. Earlier today, Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in congress to call on Biden to withdraw. The other seven House Democrats we asked also evaded the query. John Avlon, the Democratic nominee hoping to unseat Republican Rep. Nick LaLota on the eastern end of Long Island, was asked the same question during a Monday CNN interview. “I think panic is not a useful emotion, but I don’t think denial is either,” Avlon said. “The truth is president Biden had a bad debate. But he’s also got a great record.” His spokesperson declined to elaborate further on the question and referred Playbook back to the interview. Maureen O’Toole, a press secretary for the GOP-backed Congressional Leadership Fund called Avlon’s response “mealy-mouthed.” Only Josh Riley, the lawyer and second-time candidate for the state’s 19th district held by Rep. Marc Molinaro, indicated he might prefer to be on a ticket without the 81-year-old president. “Most of the voters I talk to wish they had different options, and they want new leadership,” Riley said in a statement after the debate. “They’re not wrong.” He was the only candidate we asked that didn’t issue at least tacit support for the president. And Democratic House candidate John Mannion, for his part, also (we think) is backing Biden as he takes on GOP Rep. Brandon Williams in the Syracuse area. “President Biden has earned the nomination and the support of the party,” Mannion said. Other Democrats just ignored our questions. The spokesperson for Laura Gillen, who’s hoping to flip Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito’s Nassau County seat blue, did not respond to half a dozen emails and texts after initially answering a question about the debate. We’re also still waiting to hear back from Rep. Tom Suozzi and former Rep. Mondaire Jones. Not even the painstakingly press-friendly Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wanted to talk about this one. Republicans, meanwhile, are reveling in the Democratic uncertainty. “New York Democrats are refusing to answer a simple question because they can’t defend the indefensible,” Chris Russell, a spokesman for Republican Rep. Mike Lawler’s reelection campaign, who’s being challenged by Jones, said in a statement. — Jason Beeferman
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