Chann, who serves on Portland’s planning board and is a former city charter commission member, said he also worries it is too late for Democrats to effectively organize around another candidate.

“We can’t be too short-sighted because of one debate performance,” he said. “We have to think about the cost to us in terms of messaging, campaign momentum and all the things that go into the build up before an election and that happen in the years leading up to the election … I think as Democrats we should be wary of being too short-sighted.”