Trump’s conviction prompts election-year debate among Democrats: How much to focus on the verdict?

BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) — Inside his Delaware headquarters, President Joe Biden’s campaign is signaling it will incorporate Donald Trump’s recent felony conviction as a core element of the Democratic incumbent’s reelection message.

But in nearby battleground Pennsylvania, a state that could decide control of Congress and the presidency this fall, Democrats are far from certain that Trump’s criminal record matters to voters at all.

“ It’ll have an effect, but a fairly small effect,” former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said of Trump’s recent 34 felony convictions in the New York hush money case. “I don’t think we can count on it. We’ve got to get out and win the election talking about the things that are important.”

Less than a week after Trump became the first U.S. president ever convicted of a felony, Biden’s Democratic Party has only just begun to navigate the delicate politics of the presumptive Republican nominee’s unprecedented legal status.

There are key voices within Biden’s campaign headquarters who believe that Democrats should lean into Trump’s conviction as a significant turning point in politics and history. Others favor a more cautious approach, fearful of a voter backlash if Democratic officials push too hard on a criminal conviction that Trump insists, without evidence, was “rigged” against him.

The Democrats’ decision could prove pivotal in the evolving Biden-Trump rematch — and in the battle for control of the House and Senate.

What to know about the 2024 Election

• Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
• AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn