'The current path may not be sustainable': Dem senators plan to ask Biden to step aside

05 July 2024

While President Joe Biden held a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin to reassure supporters he was still up to the task of seeing his campaign through to November, Democratic senators have been working on plans to unite in favor of convincing him to step aside.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), who chairs the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, has been working behind the scenes to enlist a group of Senate Democrats to ask Biden to pass the torch to someone better suited to face former President Donald Trump. The Post reported that Warner is concerned that Biden is no longer capable of defeating Trump due to his poor debate showing last week.

"I think there is a sense among many that the current path may not be sustainable for him," an unnamed Senate Democrat told the Post. "Not because of the debate alone but how well he performs in the future. He obviously has to show strength right now."

The number of Senate Democrats that Warner has enlisted is not yet known, and no other Senate Democrats have so far publicly called on the president to end his bid for reelection. However, several members of Congress and at least one governor have gone on the record asking Biden to hand off the reins of his campaign.

Earlier on Friday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) issued a statement urging Biden to reconsider his stated plans to remain in the race until November, and to "listen to the American people." Her statement came on the heels of 20 Democratic governors meeting with the president at the White House amid a growing chorus of calls for him to end his 2024 bid, with many asking him to anoint Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.

Additionally, Politico columnist Jonathan Martin reported Thursday that multiple Democratic governors and "a majority" of Democrats in Congress are privately hoping Biden will step aside. Currently, Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona) are the only House Democrats to have made their wishes public.

Polls in several key contests in the 2024 election swung slightly in Trump's direction after the debate, including multiple states previously considered safe for Democrats. During the White House meeting, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) expressed concern to Biden that her state was now considered battleground territory despite it being a safe blue state in the last four presidential elections.

During a Friday campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Biden vowed to stay in the race until November, and vowed to be the Democratic nominee when delegates gather in Chicago next month for the Democratic National Convention.

"You voted for me to be your nominee. You, the voters did that. And despite that, some folks don't seem to care who you voted for," Biden said. "They're trying to push me out of the race. Well let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm staying in the race."

Following his rally, the president will be doing a one-on-one interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Friday evening. The interview has been viewed as a do-or-die moment for the Biden campaign to convince viewers of his mental fortitude following the debate.

Click here to read the Post's report in its entirety (subscription required).

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