Ten more House Democrats are calling on President Biden to step aside from the 2024 race, increasing the pressure on the incumbent as concerns mount in the party over his ability to beat former President Trump in November.
Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) issued a joint statement Friday morning, writing that while they have “great admiration” for Biden, the public worries over his age and fitness for office are threatening his chances of winning the election, zeroing in on his disastrous debate performance last month.
“Mr. President, with great admiration for you personally, sincere respect for your decades of public service and patriotic leadership, and deep appreciation for everything we have accomplished together during your presidency, it is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders,” the quartet wrote.
“At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” they added. “These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change.”
The lawmakers continued, writing that “We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House.”
Six other Democrats have also joined the calls on Friday: Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), a frontliner, said in a statement Biden should step down so Democrats can “nominate a new leader who can reliably and consistently make the case against Donald Trump and make the case for the future of America,” and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a close ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), wrote a letter to the president urging him to step aside.
Lofgren pointed to her experience serving on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, writing “I know, perhaps as well as anyone, how unsuitable Donald Trump is to be president.”
“As I am aware that you have been provided data indicating that you in all likelihood will lose the race for President, I will not go through it again,” Lofgren wrote in the letter, dated Thursday but first reported on Friday. “Simply put, your candidacy is on a trajectory to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races down ballot.”
“It is for these reasons that I urge you to step aside from our Party’s nomination to allow another Democratic candidate to compete against and beat Donald Trump in the November election,” she added.
Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) also publicly urged the president to step down on Friday.
The new calls from lawmakers mark a notable increase in the squeeze Biden is facing as more and more Democrats publicly urge him to withdraw from the race.
Veasey is the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to call on Biden to step aside, lodging a crack in what has been the president’s strongest bloc of support on Capitol Hill.
The other three lawmakers in the earlier joint statement — Huffman, García and Pocan — are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a prominent group that has also shown strong support for Biden thus far. And García is also part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose political arm backed the president’s reelection bid earlier Friday.
Lofgren’s voice is also significant, as she is a close ally of Pelosi. Sources have told The Hill that the former Speaker has worked behind the scenes to try and to Biden to reconsider his decision to run.
A Biden campaign spokesperson argued in a statement to The Hill that despite the growing number of Democrats publicly calling for the president to step down, most members of the caucus are still by his side.
“While the majority of the caucus and the diverse base of the party continues to stand with the President and his historic record of delivering for their communities, we’re clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently,” the spokesperson said.
“We all share the same goal: an America where everyone gets a fair shot and freedom and democracy are protected,” they added. “Unlike Republicans, we’re a party that accepts — and even celebrates — differing opinions, but in the end, we will absolutely come together to beat Donald Trump this November.”
The conversation over Biden’s viability at the top of the ticket rose after last month’s lackluster debate performance, during which the president at times stumbled over his words and appeared to lose his train of thought.
Biden and his team have since been defiant that he will not drop out of the race, with campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon telling MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday that “absolutely, the president’s in this race.”
Sources have told The Hill that well-connected Democratic Party insiders expect Biden to make an announcement about his future in the coming days. The president is currently recovering from COVID-19 in Delaware.
Huffman, Veasey, García and Pocan said Friday that they see Vice President Harris as leading the pack of the “deep and talented bench” Biden could pass the torch to.
“Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment,” they wrote. “Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign.”
“It would reinvigorate the race and infuse Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum heading into our convention next month,” they continued. “Mr. President, you have always put our country and our values first. We call on you to do it once again, so that we can come together and save the country we love.”
Updated: 8:48 p.m. ET.