Five more House Democrats demand Biden end re-election effort: ‘Time to pass the torch’
Five more House Democratic lawmakers joined the growing chorus of calls Thursday for President Biden to end his re-election bid, bringing the number of lawmakers from the president’s party publicly saying he should step aside to 15.
Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), and Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) all explicitly urged Biden to pass the baton, fretting that he could cost Democrats the presidential race.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), 36, was less explicit than the others but issued a statement Thursday heavily suggesting he should step aside.
She also appeared to go further than the others and cast doubt about whether Biden is fit to serve right now, having previously predicted publicly that Biden would lose to Republican Donald Trump.
“I doubt the President’s judgement about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors,” she said in a statement to KGW8.
“Americans deserve to feel their president is fit enough to do the job. The crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership needs to come to an end. The President should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.”
Gluesenkamp Perez managed to flip her seat red in the 2022 midterm elections.
Scholten, whose battleground district covers the cities of Grand Rapids and Muskegon, was the first new mutineer Thursday, calling on Biden to “step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up.”
The 42-year-old, who flipped a district formerly held by Republican Peter Meijer in 2022, added that she would “respect” Biden’s decision if the president opted to remain in the race and added she “will still vote for him, as a clear and necessary alternative to Donald Trump” if it came to that.
“With the challenges facing our country in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket — not just to win, but to govern,” she said, later adding: “Joe Biden has been that leader for so long; but this is not about the past, it’s about the future. It’s time to pass the torch.”
In the afternoon, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said in a statement that Biden must “heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue” — or condemn the party to “slog through this election praying we can successfully defend our democracy” if he stays in.
“In passing the torch now, President Biden has a chance to live up to this standard and seal his place in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation, and history, has ever known,” Schneider said. “He can lead the transition of power to a new generation that can build a stronger party and a stronger nation.
What to know about the calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race:
- President Biden’s poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate left some Democrats unsure of his fitness for office and future as the party’s candidate.
- More than a dozen congressional Democrats have joined in calling for Biden’s exit from the race. Former Biden supporter George Clooney echoed these calls in an op-ed published in the New York Times just weeks after he helped lead a record-breaking fundraiser for the Democrat.
- Democratic voters have continued to raise concerns about Biden’s nomination since the debate, with speculations and suggestions for replacement nominees running rampant.
- Biden’s former running mate Barack Obama has reportedly been trying to pressure him to drop out, and had prior knowledge of Clooney’s op-ed. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allegedly told Biden he could not beat former President Donald Trump this time around.
- As the Democratic National Convention approaches, California delegates for the Democratic Party are reportedly in disarray as debate over the president’s chances of re-election threatens to tear the party apart.
- However, the Biden campaign has denied any plans for Biden to bow out and for Kamala Harris to step in as the Democratic nominee. Sources close to the president believe he might not be willing to drop out, while other sources claim he is “receptive” to giving up on a second term.
“I fear if he fails to make the right choice, our democracy will hang in the balance.”
Case, 71, whose district covers much of urban Honolulu, heavily implied that he has doubts Biden will be able to discharge the duties of the presidency for another term.
“This has nothing to do with his character and record. If it did, there would be no decision to make,” Case stressed about his call for Biden to end his campaign.
“Our decision on President, on who will embody and lead that choice, should be made on the merits, with no questions as to basic capacity to discharge responsibilities over another term.”Lastly, Stanton, who represents a competitive district in Arizona’s densely populated Maricopa County, underscored the stakes of Democrats losing this election.
“The Democratic Party must have a nominee who can effectively make the case against Trump, and have the confidence of the American people to handle the rigors of the hardest job on the planet for the next four years. For the sake of American democracy, and to continue to make progress on our shared priorities, I believe it is time for the President to step aside as our nominee.”
Stanton, 54, had been among one of Biden’s earlier backers.
Scholten, Schneider, Case, Standon and Gluesenkamp Perez join Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont and Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Mike Quigley of Illinois, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Adam Smith of Washington, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Pat Ryan of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon in calling on Biden to take himself out of the 2024 race.
Their announcements came hours before Biden was set to hold a “big boy” press conference, in the words of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, that is being closely watched by many in Washington for signs the president remains up to the job.
Another House Democrat, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) suggested Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris may be well-suited to take the reins, though he stopped short of asking Biden to withdraw.
“VP Harris is on fire. She’s vetted, tested, and has been Democrats’ strongest messenger throughout this campaign. She’s next up if we need her, and we might. Let me be very clear: if/when President Biden passes the torch, I’m all-in for Kamala Harris!” he posted on X.
Biden insisted Monday in a letter to congressional Democrats that he is “firmly committed” to remaining in the race, later daring dismayed members of his party to challenge him at next month’s national convention in Chicago.
The president’s attempt to quash discontent on Capitol Hill went largely ignored, with former House speaker Nancy Pelosi telling MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday that “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run.
“We’re all encouraging him to make that decision,” she added. “Because time is running short.”
Even Democrats who have stopped short of calling for Biden to step aside have publicly fretted about his chances of losing the presidency and its effects on races down-ballot.
“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) told CNN on Tuesday.
“So for me, this isn’t a question about polling, it’s not a question of politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country, and I think it’s critically important for us to come to grips with what we face if, together, we put this country on the path of electing Donald Trump again.”