As national Democrats made clear their party was on the verge of chaos this past week, a cadre of governors came to the defense of President Joe Biden.

The president was in crisis-mode as he sought to build support following a disastrous debate last month and the flock of state executives took an invitation to meet with him at the White House in a potential show of support.

The group issued a flurry of public statements backing the 81-year-old afterward. But there was one notable absence from the post-huddle rah-rah — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who is a top surrogate for Biden’s re-election campaign.

Days of public silence followed, with spokespeople for Healey either declining to comment or not returning requests seeking her takeaways from the Wednesday meeting in Washington. Healey did not have any public events scheduled for Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

But Healey, who as a rising star in the Democratic party has largely tied herself to the president, finally broke the hush Friday afternoon, a day after The New York Times reported that she had described Biden’s political situation as “irretrievable” during a private call with other governors.

In a statement released by a political spokesperson, Healey said she urged Biden to “to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.”

“The best way forward right now is a decision for the President to make,” the former attorney general said. “… Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump.”

The remarks walked a tight line between keeping her powder dry on fully calling Biden to exit the 2024 presidential race and maintaining a relationship with a powerful ally who has delivered Massachusetts a windfall of federal dollars and non-monetary wins.

Healey’s comment also stands in contrast to what her Democratic colleagues said in the immediate aftermath of the meeting in Washington.

One New England governor, Rhode Island’s Dan McKee, said he will continue to work with Biden “to campaign for a victory in November.”

“We had an open and candid discussion that was welcomed by the president,” McKee said in a statement. “Coming out of the meeting, it was very clear — President Biden continues to be all in on this election and we continue to be all in on supporting him.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said “all of us” pledged support to Biden because the “stakes could not be higher.”

“On the eve of the Fourth of July celebration, we talk about how we transitioned under the monarchy and a tyranny that our founding fathers fought against, that we risk right now descending back into that very same place. We will stand with the president as we fight that force, that force being Donald Trump,” she said.

Some Massachusetts Democrats have decided to go the opposite route, taking the gamble of pushing the president to step aside to let someone else run for the White House against Trump.

That includes U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who became the third sitting member of Congress to call on Biden to exit the race.

The Salem Democrat told WBUR this past week that it was time for Biden to “follow in one of our founding father, George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump.”

Meanwhile, in the Legislature, time is seriously running out…

State legislators have only weeks until the end of formal lawmaking for the 2023-2024 session and there are bills piling up, including major policies on housing, economic development, climate, and healthcare.

Massachusetts is also one of only three states in the nation to not have a budget enacted by the start of fiscal year 2025. Democratic negotiators are still hashing out a deal behind closed doors and it is hard to tell how close they are to the finish line, even with recent optimistic remarks.

Compromises can and will suddenly emerge over the next 24 days, so be ready for a flurry of action, especially as the July 31 end of session gets closer.