DALLAS — There is a lot of talk about President Joe Biden’s political future.
Will the President be the Democratic nominee after the Democratic National Convention in August? Some Democrats have said the President should abandon his re-election bid. But Biden is saying he is staying in the race to finish the job he started in 2021.
The Biden dilemma has Democrats in Congress disorganized and distracted. Some are talking publicly while others are discussing it privately. Over 15 Democratic U.S. Representatives have called for the President to quit the race. Other Democrats are encouraging him to stay the course.
One of Texas’ top Democrats weighed in on the difficult position his party finds itself in. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins told Inside Texas Politics this week that he thinks that the decision to leave the race is for the President to make.
"I think that's a decision that the president has to make, with his advisors and with a circle of people," said Jenkins. "I'm sure he's looking at those data points, you know, every day."
Jenkins added that the state primaries are over. Biden won the delegates. So, he’s the one to decide whether to stay or go. And Jenkins would tell fellow Democrats who say the party needs someone else for them to have a chance to win in November to just keep working.
"What I would say to fellow Democrats who are in the campaign trenches working is: Don't stop working, or waiting around for things that are outside of your control," Jenkins said. "Do everything that you can do to win your race."
Jenkins said that he would support whoever the nominee is.
The Dallas County Judge also gave an update on the county’s juvenile justice system. A group called Dallas Black Clergy for Safety, Equity and Justice will meet with each Juvenile Board member soon to discuss the ongoing issues within the detention system. Jenkins claims that all the evidence received from the department shows that the system is not functioning well. He wants to collaborate with all stakeholders to solve the problems.
"My hope is that everyone on that board will get more interested in questioning what is actually happening," he said. "And let's all work together -- the department, the rank-and-file employees, the leadership there, the juvenile judges, the Board, and the Commissioners Court -- and fix these problems that are not going to go away if we ignore them."
Jenkins also spoke about the Regional Transportation Council, which oversees North Texas transit policies and planning, and has proposed a new high-speed rail line that could bypass Downtown Dallas on its way to Fort Worth. The Dallas City Council opposed the first proposed rail line that would run through downtown. The council voted in June to formally oppose any new above-ground high-speed rail routes through downtown. City leaders questioned the rail’s impact on a planned $3 billion new convention center and a $5 billion redevelopment project.
Dallas wants to look at an economic development study before approving a rail route.
Jenkins is the new chair of the Regional Transportation Council. He says he doesn’t know if the revised plan would ease the concerns of Dallas city leaders. But he admits that any high-speed rail built between Dallas and Fort Worth would need the Dallas City Council’s involvement.