Gov. Wes Moore continued to stand behind Joe Biden as the Democratic president sought to save his reelection candidacy on Friday, following a disastrous debate performance last week.

Biden appeared in the battleground state of Wisconsin, telling supporters at a middle school that he was “going to win again.” The statement came in advance of a highly anticipated interview Friday with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Biden said his disastrous debate performance last week was a “bad episode” and there were “no indications of any serious condition” in the ABC interview that was seen as a significant test on his fitness to run for office.

Biden’s supporters hoped the appearances would quell doubts that surfaced about the 81-year-old president’s mental and physical fitness during his erratic debate performance Thursday night against former President Donald Trump. Many Democrats have been questioning whether Biden should continue his reelection bid in the face of concerns about his health and declining poll numbers.

Asked Friday whether his feelings about the race remained the same, Moore said in a statement that Biden “is the partner I need in the White House, now and for the next four years.”

The interview with Stephanopoulos was seen as a potential watershed moment. There was broad agreement that Biden could not afford to have another “bad day,” which is how he wrote off his debate flop. It was not clear that even a so-so performance would be enough to satisfy concerns about his fitness to serve.

“I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing,” Biden told Stephanopoulos in an excerpt that aired Friday evening.

Moore, 45, the nation’s third Black governor, is a top surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign.

Moore worked closely with Biden following the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“I know Joe Biden’s resolve because I saw it first-hand when he stood by the people of Maryland every step of the way as we re-opened the Port of Baltimore faster than anyone thought possible,” his statement said.

Moore, who is in his first term, has campaigned for the president in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin, among other states. He has no current trips scheduled, but a spokesperson said that could change.

The Maryland Republican Party, in a statement last Sunday, criticized Moore’s travel, saying he “has turned his attention to his own political future and pursuit of higher office, just one-and-a-half years into his term.”

Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican and Moore’s predecessor, also periodically traveled out of state. He is a former chairman of the nonpartisan National Governors Association and has considered running for president.

On Wednesday, Moore was among two-dozen Democratic governors who met with Biden at the White House.

“The president has always had our backs. We’re going to have his back as well,” Moore said after the meeting.

Moore called the conversation “candid” and said: “We know we have work to do. We know that as we’re standing right here we’re behind.”

But he said the path to a Biden victory is “real” and that the governors were supportive of the president.

“We’re governors. We don’t do hand-wringing,” Moore said.

The meeting followed a phone call Monday in which governors — including Moore — discussed, among other topics, Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump.

Moore has said he won’t seek the party’s nomination for himself. He has also been mentioned by pundits as a possible running mate for another candidate if Biden withdrew.

Among the governors and others at the meeting — some attended virtually — were several who have been touted as possible presidential candidates. Those included California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre characterized Wednesday night’s meeting as business as usual.

“As you know, these governors are some of our closest partners when it comes to creating new jobs, building new roads, building bridges and so much more. And so the president looks forward to meeting with them,” she said at Wednesday’s briefing.

Associated Press contributed to this article.