President Joe Biden remained steadfast in continuing his reelection bid during a solo press conference Thursday, declaring that he’s got “to finish this job” as reporters grilled him on whether he’s fit for the presidency after his poor presidential debate performance.

“I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again,” Biden said. 

The news conference — which included some fumbles, like when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” —  has not eased all Democratic concerns. And, as Democratic leaders continue to call for Biden to step down, the spotlight has turned to Black voters who in the past have remained loyal to the Democratic Party and to Biden. 

CNN commentator Ashley Allison went on national television Thursday night and made an impassioned plea for the Democratic Party to get behind Biden.

“As a Black woman living in this country that has less constitutional rights than I had from the day that I was born 42 years ago, I refuse to live under Donald Trump’s reign again. I refuse to risk our democracy,” Allison said on the “Source with Kaitlan Collins.”

Allison said she is “not super excited” about Biden, but “there is too much at stake.”

“I’m a little annoyed and I’m furious because I talk to Black people who have saved this country over and over, who helped elect Joe Biden, who save the Democratic Party time and time again, and Black people are saying, ‘Let it go folks,’” Allison said. “… When you look at the people who have called for him to step down, they are not the backbone of the Democratic Party.”

A July 3 New York Times/Siena College poll conducted after the presidential debate found that 47% of Black voters believe that there should be a different Democratic presidential nominee. Meanwhile, 43% think Biden should remain the nominee. 

An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted between July 5-9 showed that 49% of Black respondents said Biden should step aside. 

Atlanta-based URL partner Capital B News published a piece noting that, despite the reservations that many Black voters have about Biden’s reelection bid, “they will back the party’s ticket regardless of who’s on it.”

Theodore R. Johnson, a senior adviser at the public policy think tank New America, told Capital B that while the vast majority of Black voters still like Biden, more are probably asking whether the Biden who appeared on the debate stage can beat Trump.

“That’s the question that matters more. It’s not about whether Biden is going to be super effective in office if he wins reelection. It’s about whether this version of Biden can even win reelection,” Johnson told Capital B. “And Black voters are divided on that.”

Many have taken offense with the notion that Black Americans are a monolith who unquestionablyfavor Biden.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a theoretical physicist and Black feminist theorist, noted on X that “anyone claiming to be speaking on our behalf in relation to the election is a charlatan.”

Prescod-Weinstein noted reading an article suggesting that “Black women are firmly behind Biden,” by featuring voices of those at the recent Essence Fest. 

“These headlines are both irresponsible and part of a program to marginalize Black radicals and other dissenters,” Prescod-Weinstein wrote.

New York Times political reporter Astead W. Herndon on X said that aside from “the fact that the numbers or reporting don’t bear it out, I find this ‘black voters are united behind Biden’ to be a tell.”

“Politicians have learned to say “black voters aren’t a monolith” but will still treat them as such as it’s a useful signal for liberal whites,” Herndon wrote, adding, “also not saying black voters are united around dumping Biden in any way – but feelings are mixed just as in party as a whole.”