...
By Kaitlin Lewis and Rachel Dobkin
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A new surge of Democrats has turned against President Joe Biden as pressure mounts for him to step aside in the upcoming election.
After Biden's weak showing against former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee as of Monday, at the first presidential debate late last month in Atlanta, there have been growing calls among Democrats in Congress and other prominent members of the party for Biden to step aside.
Biden, however, has repeatedly vowed to stay in the race. In a statement on Friday afternoon, the president said, "Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat [Trump] at the ballot Box...The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win."
Read More on Politics
On Friday alone, over 10 Democratic lawmakers called for Biden to end his reelection campaign, with the new defections coming nearly every hour since this morning.
When reached for comment by Newsweek, Biden's campaign pointed to remarks made by Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon on MSNBC's Morning Joe Friday morning: "You have heard from the President directly time and again: He is in this race to win, and he is our nominee, and he's going to be our President for a second term."
New Democratic Calls for Biden to Step Down
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown spoke out on Friday asking that Biden end his campaign, becoming the fourth Democratic Senator to call on the president to step aside before November.
"Over the last few weeks, I've heard from Ohioans on important issues, such as how to continue to grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resource to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban," read a statement from Brown, which was shared to X, formerly Twitter, Friday evening.
"I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me," the senator continued. "At this critical time, our full attention must return to these important issues. I think the President should end his campaign."
Brown's statement follows similar calls from other lawmakers in recent days while rumors swirl over the future of Biden's candidacy. Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico became the third Democrat in the upper chamber to ask Biden to drop out of the race in a statement earlier in the day Friday, saying, "While the decision to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden's alone, I believe it is in the best interests of our country for him to step aside."
"By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation's greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy," Heinrich added.
Heinirch's statement comes hours after Senator Jon Tester of Montana called for Biden to step aside.
"I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I've never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong. And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek reelection to another term," Tester said in a statement late Thursday.
In a joint statement, Representatives Jared Huffman of California, Marc Veasey of Texas, Chuy Garcia of Illinois and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin praised Biden's "decades of public service," but said, "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. Democrats have a deep and talented bench of young leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment."
Harris's name has been floated as a possible replacement for Biden, but she has stood by Biden, saying in a CBS News interview following the debate that she is "proud to be Joe Biden's running mate."
Another Illinois representative, Sean Casten, also called on Biden to exit the race in an opinion article published Friday by the Chicago Tribune.
"It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation," he wrote. "To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward."
Representative Greg Landsman of Ohio said in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, "There is too much on the line, and we have to be able to make that case to the American people about the change we need and the country we all deserve."
"After weeks of consideration and hundreds of conversations with constituents, I have come to the conclusion that Joe Biden is no longer the best person to make that case," Landsman added.
Representative Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky also called for Biden to step aside, writing in an X post that "he should not be our nominee in November," adding "the stakes of this election are too high...we can't allow them to succeed," referring to Trump and his people.
Meanwhile, Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota asked Biden to exit the race in a statement published by the Star Tribune on Friday.
"Winning in November and defeating Trump's dangerous, hate-filled agenda must be Democrats' sole focus," McCollum said. "To give Democrats a strong, viable path to winning the White House, I am calling upon President Biden to release his delegates and empower Vice President Harris to step forward to become the Democratic nominee for president."
In a letter sent to Biden on Thursday, which was publically released on Friday, Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, a close ally of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, urged the president to step aside.
"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," Lofgren wrote.
Meanwhile, although Representative Kathy Castor of Florida did not outright ask Biden to leave the race, she said, "I think it's an exciting time to possibly pass the torch," according to an article published on Friday by local NBC affiliate WFLA.
Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who called for Biden to step aside earlier this month, wrote in an op-ed for the Boston Globe on Friday, "For the first time, [Biden] didn't seem to recognize me," when he saw the president in a small group gathering in Normandy, France, during an event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June.
Previous Democrats Who Called for Biden to Step Down
A total of 20 other Democratic representatives have already called on Biden to step aside, making the new total number of Democrats in Congress asking Biden to exit the race 32.
Top Democratic lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and California Representative Nancy Pelosi, have all spoken with Biden amid fears he will not beat Trump in November, multiple news organizations have reported, citing unnamed sources.
Meanwhile, money from Democratic donors is reportedly "drying up" because Biden refuses to exit the race.
One unnamed donor told the Financial Times earlier this month that the money for the upcoming election is "in the process of drying up."
"Nine to one when I talk to other donors, they're not planning on contributing...because they're concerned about losing," the donor said.
...
Correction 07/19/24 5:20 p.m. ET: The number of Democrats calling for Biden to resign has been corrected.
Update 7/19/24, 6:39 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional statements from Democrats calling for Biden to resign.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines