Six more Democratic lawmakers on Friday added themselves to the list of elected officials calling on Biden to end his reelection bid — and all this by 11 am ET. Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois made his case in an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico issued a statement, and four other representatives penned a joint letter.
As the president isolates at his beach house with COVID-19, his team is under mounting pressure, with top Democrats reportedly pushing for him to drop out. This morning’s defectors join 20 other House Democrats and two senators who have called on the president to step aside.
In his opinion piece entitled, “It’s time for Joe Biden to pass the torch,” Casten said that he believes Biden will lose the general election. Though he began the piece by praising Biden’s record and character, Casten argued that the president is no longer fit for the job.
“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. Doing so, he argued, would save Biden’s legacy.
Representatives Jared Huffman of California, Marc Veasey of Texas, Chuy Garcia of Illinois, and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin wrote a joint letter to Biden that also called on him to “pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders.”
They, too, expressed admiration for Biden’s personal and political record, before commenting on the importance of beating Donald Trump in November.
“We must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” they wrote. “These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change.”
In their letter, the four representatives mention Vice President Kamala Harris as a leader of the next generation of Democrats. Many believe that Harris is best-positioned to become the Democratic nominee should Biden step aside. Illustrating the persistent divides within the Democratic party, Garcia is a part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose fundraising apparatus endorsed Biden this morning.
Heinrich followed a similar format, starting his statement by celebrating Biden’s accomplishments before moving on to discussing the importance of keeping Trump out of the White House.
“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,” Heinrich said. “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.”
Biden insists that he plans to stay in the race for now, but some top Democrats believe that his determination may be starting to let up in the face of waning support and dire poll numbers.
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