MILWAUKEE — In Madison earlier this month - Joe Biden tried to close the door on calls to step aside.
"I am running and I'm going to win again," Biden said to a cheering crowd at a middle school rally.
Despite the defiant pushback, President Biden struggled to put to rest growing concerns among Democrats to drop out of the race.
"Well, this process, in my view, certainly should have happened a long time ago, said Steven Olikara, a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in 2022. It was a conversation that needed to happen."
Watch: How local Democrats are reacting to the historic news of President Biden dropping out of presidential race:
Olikara tells me he was at a Biden fundraiser in February that raised his concerns about the president's ability to run an effective campaign.
Even with a historic shake-up, Olikara thinks there's still time for Democrats to reboot and reengage with younger voters.
"I could see young people being energized. I think Vice President Harris could speak to some of those issues.
The Biden-Harris Administration certainly has some legislative accomplishments on climate change and gun violence and some pretty big issues for young people."
The question about whether Joe Biden would stay or go was very much on display at last week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
But high-profile Milwaukee Democrats like Cavalier Johnson and David Crowley were adamant they were 'ridin' with Biden.
On Friday Johnson was saying, "Joe Biden is the only person in the United States ever to hand Donald Trump a loss in a presidential election.
Johnson wanted Biden to stay in the race and was critical of some Democrats complaining about Biden's declining poll numbers and calls to step aside.
"If you dig - guess what? You go deeper. That's exactly what Democrats are doing. I suggest they stop doing that - rally around our president and make sure we win this election in November."
On Sunday, Johnson said in a statement, "President Joe Biden has been an extraordinary leader for the Democratic Party and more importantly for our country.”
"I think I am surprised just as much as anyone was," said County Executive Crowley.
He knows there was mounting pressure on Biden to make a decision as Democrats prepare to gather at their national convention in Chicago next month.
"I was going to be 'ridin' with Biden if he decided to stay in this race," Crowley said. "I think that the President understands that this is his way of saying that his moving aside, making the decision not to run for reelection is giving back to this country, and this is his way of saying that he's putting the country first."
Both Crowley and Johnson say that are backing Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s new presidential nominee. She was expected in Milwaukee on Tuesday for her 5th campaign stop in Wisconsin.
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