More Democrats call for Biden to step aside
By Noah Berkowitz
An additional four Democratic lawmakers in Congress voiced their concerns on Sunday regarding whether President Joe Biden should remain as the party’s nominee for President. The opinions were shared on a phone call organized by House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Among House members who said Biden should step include Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, Rep. Mark Takano of California, and Rep. Joe Morelle of New York. All four hold leadership positions on various committees.
This brings the number of Democrats in Congress who have called for Biden to step down to almost a dozen.
According to NBC News sources, other members of Congress raised concerns over Biden’s ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November on the same phone call, however did not directly call for a new nominee. This included Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, and Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut.
According to the NBC News sources, lawmakers vehemently believe that Vice President Kamala Harris would be better suited to represent the Democrats in the general election, and would be the choice should Biden not continue running.
Harris has gained significant traction as of recent following Joe Biden’s lackluster debate performance. In a recent CNN Poll, 75% of voters say Democrats would have a better chance of winning with a candidate other than Biden. Harris would be the likely choice having already served four years as Vice President.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average, Trump leads Biden by 1.4 percentage points. On June 27th, the day of the debate, the two candidates were virtually tied.
The polling has underscored Democrats’ concerns over Biden as a viable candidate, however despite calls for him to cease his campaign, the President has remained committed to staying in the race.
On Monday, Biden told congressional Democrats in a letter that he will not stop his bid for reelection. In the letter, Biden said “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”