According to POLITICO, several senior House Democrats privately called on Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election.
The calls reportedly occurred during a private meeting convened by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
“Among those forcefully calling for Biden to stand down during the nearly two-hour call were Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), according to two people familiar with the private session,” POLITICO stated.
The report follows five additional House Democrats publicly calling on Biden to step aside.
WATCH:
As President Biden tries to restore his reputation following his debate performance, @ABC News has learned that four senior House Democrats have privately said he should step aside from the presidential race. @selinawangtv reports. https://t.co/WjsLR2l0yF pic.twitter.com/g2P5TfOgYK
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 8, 2024
From POLITICO:
Other members on the call voiced concerns about Biden’s path to November, including Reps. Jim Himes (Conn.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Rick Larsen (Wash.). It’s a poor omen for the Biden campaign as the entire Democratic elected apparatus prepares to return to Washington on Monday evening where lawmakers will face tough questioning about their party’s standard-bearer.
Aaron Fritschner, Beyer’s spokesperson, posted on X to push back on reports that Beyer called for a new nominee: “To be clear [Beyer] supports President Biden and said so on this call and any reporting to the contrary is a misunderstanding of what he said and what he believes.”
The additional calls for Biden to stand aside from senior Democrats come after the president’s interview last week with ABC News did nothing to assuage concerns among rank-and-file lawmakers about his continued viability in the race. Members have repeatedly urged the president to quickly schedule more unscripted events and town halls to continually demonstrate his vitality and energy.
It’s not just the House either. A group of Senate Democrats are reportedly planning a discussion of Biden’s path forward, led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), once that chamber returns to Washington on Monday. Five House Democrats have publicly urged Biden to stand down, while numerous others have expressed concerns about his viability in private.
However, it appears the meeting between Senate Democrats will no longer happen.
WATCH:
Brown: Now breaking news, a source familiar with Senator Mark Warner’s thinking tells me that the private meeting that he was trying to organize.. That’s no longer happening. It’s been scrapped pic.twitter.com/uKx9bP0JkY
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 7, 2024
The New York Post reports:
The lack of endorsement from the top Democrats could serve as a major blow to Biden given the representatives’ positions and standing in the party.
Nadler is the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and Morelle serves as the top Democrat on the Administration Committee.
Smith is a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, and Takano is a ranking member on the Veteran Affairs panel.
Along with the four Democrats on the private call, Reps. Jim Himes (Conn.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Rick Larsen (Wash.) have all voiced their fears of a potential Biden failure in the looming election.
While no Democratic congressional leader has publicly called on Biden to step down yet, the mounting concerns from inside the House illustrate the party’s wavering confidence in the president.
