Joe Biden insists he will continue his presidential campaign, but a growing number of Democrats are urging him to drop out of the race.
On Friday, 12 Democratic lawmakers called on him to step down, the largest number of lawmakers to do so in a single day. Washington Post.
They include some of the most competitive Democrats in the party, whose contests could help determine which party controls Congress next year.
Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is locked in a tight race for reelection, became the fourth Democratic senator to call for Biden’s resignation on Friday. “I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me,” Brown said in a statement. “I believe the president should end his campaign.”
On Saturday, Senator Elizabeth Warren He told MSNBC Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “ready to step up and unite the party,” but stopped short of explicitly calling on Biden to drop out of the race.
The group of congressional Democrats who have voiced their opposition to Biden is increasingly diverse. “We must confront the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing a campaign that must be won,” Reps. Jared Huffman (Calif.), Marc Veasey (Texas), Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.) and Mark Pocan (Wis.) told Biden in a joint statement. The lawmakers are members of different House caucuses, from the Hispanic and Black caucuses to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, suggesting they represent a diverse mix of backgrounds within the party.
Only about 40 Democrats have publicly called for Biden to resign, but two House Democrats have The New York Times It is said that 70-80% of the congressional delegation wants Biden to withdraw.
Biden’s campaign has struck a defiant tone as he recovers from COVID-19 in Delaware, and he has pledged to resume campaigning next week. He also has some prominent advocates in the party, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). “I don’t see an alternative scenario that doesn’t put us at great risk,” she said.
But the disconnect between Biden and the nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters who want him out of office appears to be growing increasingly unbearable for the party. Democrats have often criticized Republicans for being on the wrong side of public opinion on issues like abortion and guns, but Biden now finds himself in a similar position, ignoring public concerns about his candidacy and his viability for a second term.
“They won’t be able to contain this,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). times. “It feels like a dam has burst.”
A Democratic super PAC called Pass the Torch has run ads in Delaware and Washington, D.C., urging Biden to suspend his campaign and plans to organize a protest outside the White House on Saturday. “Pass the Torch and choose a candidate,” the ad reads. “Someone who can bring new energy and hope and ensure that Donald Trump never gets to the White House again.”
Congress returns from recess next week, and while Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have privately warned Biden that Democrats risk losing control of Congress, they are under pressure from their colleagues to issue a formal statement urging Biden to resign if he does not concede by then.
