(NewsNation) — California Governor Gavin Newsom is campaigning for President Joe Biden, who the governor told voters in Michigan on Thursday remains the right man for the White House moving forward.
Newsom has come out in strong support of Biden since the president struggled in his first debate with former President Donald Trump last week. Newsom has reiterated that he is not interested in the Democratic nomination, as many have called for Biden to step aside amid growing concerns that he is not fit to serve a second term in the White House if reelected.
“Joe Biden, regardless of time in life, has a quality of imagination where he has delivered more than any president in my lifetime,” Newsom said Thursday. “I’m old-fashioned. I care about results and outputs. He’s produced, and we’ll leave objective minds to judge that. But I’m not looking for a performer in chief. I’m looking for a commander in chief.”
Newsom’s appearance in Michigan came a day after first lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the state to open a Biden-Harris campaign office in Traverse City. Biden is scheduled to visit Wisconsin on Friday as he continues to ease concerns over his physical and mental acuity in the wake of last week’s disappointing debate performance.
Michigan voters are looking to be excited by Newsom’s appearance, which they hope resets the Biden campaign as polls show Trump increasing his lead over Biden since the debate. Polling indicates that Biden has lost about two points in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, once known in political circles as “the Blue Wall.”
One undecided voter told NewsNation on Thursday that he will need to see how things play out in the coming months before he decides how to vote in November.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign is pointing to former President Barack Obama’s struggles in his first debate against Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. After that performance initially cost Obama in the polls with a five-point drop, the former president rebounded and later earned a second term in office.
Biden met with Democratic governors Wednesday, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who wrote in X after the meeting, “Joe Biden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him.”
Newsom told voters Wednesday that the version of Biden he saw during Wednesday’s meeting reminded him of the “Joe Biden from two years ago” and said that he believes the president has the necessary energy to continue the job moving forward.