 Mr. Biden has not consulted directly with the pollsters on his 500-person campaign team about the state of the race against Donald Trump, but has instead relied on Mike Dunne-Ellen, a longtime friend, former pollster, and Biden campaign messaging guru, to summarize the number with regular memos and numerous daily phone calls. The ever-buzzing phone of Steve Reschetti, a close counselor to Mr. Biden since his vice presidency, is the main conduit between concerned lawmakers and the president.