Biden slows Democratic defections, but concerns remain: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, our team of political and congressional reporters look at how President Joe Biden's campaign has largely stemmed the bleeding, but is still facing serious concerns within the Democratic Party. Plus, national political correspondent Steve Kornacki looks back at two examples where Democrats replaced their Senate nominees late in the game in key races.

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Biden slows Democratic defections, but many still fear he can’t beat Trump

By Scott Wong, Ali Vitali, Rebecca Kaplan and Kyle Stewart

President Joe Biden’s insistence that he won’t be forced out of the 2024 race appears to have slowed public Democratic defections — at least for now.

While he’s certainly not in the clear and many Democrats are privately and publicly grumbling that he can’t beat Donald Trump this fall, Biden seems to have largely staunched the bleeding as he and his allies work to shore up support for his beleaguered campaign.

“If the opposition is not unified,” one House Democrat said, “then it’s advantage Biden.”

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At a closed-door gathering of House Democrats on Tuesday, only a handful of Democrats privately raised concerns about Biden’s age and ability to win in November, according to sources in the room. That small gang of defectors included Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., sources said, who had already either publicly or privately called for Biden to step aside.

In a small victory