By June Kim,Blacki Migliozzi,K.K. Rebecca Lai,Neil Vigdor and Lily Boyce
Public calls by elected Democrats for Biden to step aside
6 of 213 Representatives | 0 of 47 Senators | 0 of 23 Governors |
The angst among Democrats over President Biden’s debate performance is intensifying, with some party members voicing concern about his candidacy and some others urging him to withdraw. At least a half-dozen top House Democrats have also reportedly told colleagues privately that Mr. Biden should end his candidacy. A growing number of donors and business leaders have added to the pressure by calling on Mr. Biden to drop out, with some threatening to withhold dollars.
The situation is threatening to divide the party ahead of its national convention next month in Chicago, where Mr. Biden is scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination. Here is what Democratic politicians have said so far.
Said Biden should step aside
Adam Smith
Representative, Washington
“I think it’s become clear that he’s not the best person to carry the Democratic message.” July 8
Angie Craig
Representative, Minnesota
“I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump.” July 6
Lloyd Doggett
Representative, Texas
“The need for him to step aside is more urgent tonight than when I first called for it on Tuesday.” July 5
Mike Quigley
Representative, Illinois
“I would say: Mr. President, your legacy is set. We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude. The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this.” July 5
Previous statement
“It has to be his decision. We have to be honest with ourselves. It wasn’t just a horrible night.” July 2
Seth Moulton
Representative, Massachusetts
“President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father, George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump.” July 4
Previous statement
“I deeply respect President Biden and all the great things he has done for America, but I have grave concerns about his ability to defeat Donald Trump.” July 3
Raúl M. Grijalva
Representative, Arizona
“What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.” July 3
Marianne Williamson
2024 Democratic presidential candidate
“The time is now for another Democratic candidate to take his place on the November ballot.” July 2
Julián Castro
Former Housing and Urban Development secretary
“Another Democrat would have a better shot at beating Trump.” July 2
Tim Ryan
Former Representative, Ohio
“After deep reflection over these past few days, I strongly believe that our best path forward is Kamala Harris.” July 1
Tom Harkin
Former Senator, Iowa
“I think the president should step aside and let the convention pick a new candidate.” June 30*
R.T. Rybak
Former D.N.C. vice chair
“It is absolutely not too late to pick a new candidate.” June 30
Expressed concern
Jon Tester
Senator, Montana
“President Biden has got to prove to the American people — including me — that he’s up to the job for another four years.” July 8
Susan Wild
Representative, Pennsylvania
“In a confidential conversation with other members of House Democratic leadership, I expressed the same concerns that Americans across the country are grappling with, about President Biden’s electability at the top of the ticket.” July 7
Adam Schiff
Representative, California
“The performance on the debate stage I think rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the President has the vigor to defeat Donald Trump. And this is an existential risk.” July 7
Tom Malinowski
Former Representative, New Jersey
“Today, he can go down in history as the man who saved America from Trump twice — first by running four years ago, then by passing the torch.” July 7
Maura Healey
Governor, Massachusetts
“Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.” July 5
Ro Khanna
Representative, California
“I expect complete transparency from the White House about this issue and a willingness to answer many legitimate questions from the media and voters about his capabilities.” July 5
Gerald E. Connolly
Representative, Virginia
“I don’t think we know that yet.” July 5,answering the question of whether Biden still gives his party the best chance to win in November.
Chris Pappas
Representative, New Hampshire
“People are disappointed with what they saw last week. And I think it’s up to President Biden to answer what kind of path he can be on for the future — to restore confidence, or to pass the torch.” July 4
Jared Huffman
Representative, California
“We need a course correction. We’ve got to acknowledge that this was not just one bad night.” July 4
David Walters
Former governor of Oklahoma
“He may be operating at 100 percent capacity. But 14 months into this 18-month campaign, the campaign is losing this argument.” July 4
Debbie Dingell
Representative, Michigan
“President Biden has got to go out there, and in a sustained basis, show he has the stamina and can do the job.” July 3
Summer Lee
Representative, Pennsylvania
“People are worried. And we need our strongest, our brightest, our bravest to step up and start to take the reins right now.” July 3
Katie Porter
Representative, California
“This White House is going to have to be way less insular than they have been.” July 3
Scott Peters
Representative, California
“The question just now is, is this a candidate who can win the election? Because as much as I love Joe Biden, in those swing states, he’s having a hard time.” July 3
Jake Auchincloss
Representative, Massachusetts
“We have strong people, not just the top of the ticket, but around the ticket, who can be strong surrogates.” July 3
Ann McLane Kuster
Representative, New Hampshire
“In order to respond to our constituents’ concerns, we need to demonstrate that the president is fit not just for the job, but for the campaign.” July 3*
Nancy Pelosi
Representative, California
“I think it is a legitimate question to say is this an episode or is this a condition?” July 2
Greg Landsman
Representative, Ohio
“The question is can he effectively prosecute the case against Trump.” July 2*
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Representative, Washington
“We all saw what we saw. You can’t undo that.” July 2*
Jared Golden
Representative, Maine
“In 2025, I believe Trump is going to be in the White House.” July 2
Peter Welch
Senator, Vermont
“I really do criticize the campaign for a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion.” July 1
Hillary Scholten
Representative, Michigan
“We have heard concerns from people who saw the president on Thursday night. I felt concerned and raised those concerns.” July 1
Jamie Raskin
Representative, Maryland
“We’re having a serious conversation about what to do.” June 30*
Expressed support
Catherine Cortez Masto
Senator, Nevada
“He’s always had Nevadans’ backs, whether it’s on the picket lines, protecting our personal freedoms, or lowering costs — now it’s time for us to have his.” July 8
Steven Horsford
Representative, Nevada
“President Joe Biden is the nominee and has been selected by millions of voters across this country, including voters here in Nevada.” July 8
Alex Padilla
Senator, California
“Joe Biden is going to be our Democratic nominee. We’ve got 120 days to continue to reach out to voters, make the case.” July 7
Frederica S. Wilson
Representative, Florida
“Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to drop out needs to get their priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible actual leader who has delivered real results for our country.” July 7
Robin Kelly
Representative, Illinois
“I am proud to support President Biden & Vice President Harris, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish over the next four years.” July 7
Joyce Beatty
Representative, Ohio
“As a National Advisory Board member for #BidenHarris2024 and Member of Congress who works side by side with President Biden the choice for American leadership and our democracy is clear. It’s Joe Biden!” July 7
Maxine Waters
Representative, California
“I don’t care what anybody says — it ain’t going to be no other Democratic candidate.” July 6
James E. Clyburn
Representative, South Carolina
“There is no one better suited to continue this country’s progress than him.” July 6
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Representative, Delaware
“He is the only one we can count on to defeat Donald Trump. And he will win. I’m 100% ridin’ with Biden!” July 5
Haley Stevens
Representative, Michigan
“I am a hundred percent with the Biden-Harris ticket, and I’m standing by our president.” July 4
Terri A. Sewell
Representative, Alabama
“@JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris have stood with us and we are proud to stand with them.” July 4
Roy Cooper
Governor, North Carolina
“President Biden told us he is definitely running for re-election, he is our nominee and we’ll continue doing everything we can to deliver North Carolina for him.” July 3
Gavin Newsom
Governor, California
“Joe Biden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his.” July 3
Kathy Hochul
Governor, New York
“President Joe Biden is in it to win it, and all of us said we pledged our support to him.” July 3
Phil Murphy
Governor, New Jersey
“He is our nominee for President and I’m going to do everything I can to ensure he beats Trump.” July 3
Josh Green
Governor, Hawaii
“I suspect people will need to see the president in person and on TV to be convinced he is up to it. He is.” July 3
Robert Garcia
Representative, California
“The person to defeat Donald Trump is going to be the Joe Biden, Kamala Harris ticket.” July 3*
J. B. Pritzker
Governor, Illinois
“Joe Biden is going to be our nominee, unless he decides otherwise.” July 2
Chuck Schumer
Senator, New York
“I’m with Joe Biden.” July 2
Sheila Jackson Lee
Representative, Texas
“I stand unapologetically with President Biden, because no, he should not drop out. We must not lose focus.” July 2
Jaime Harrison
D.N.C. Chairman
“This ain’t the West Wing … we have had a process, millions voted for Joe Biden and we have our nominee!” July 2
Gretchen Whitmer
Governor, Michigan
“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump.” July 1
Katie Hobbs
Governor, Arizona
“As the president himself has said, don’t compare him to the almighty, compare him to the alternative. And by that metric, the choice is abundantly clear in this race.” June 30
Raphael Warnock
Senator, Georgia
“Absolutely not.” June 30,answering a question about whether Biden should step aside.
Chris Coons
Senator, Delaware
“The only Democrat who has ever beaten Donald Trump is Joe Biden. He is our candidate for November.” June 30
Hakeem Jeffries
Representative, New York
“A setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback.” June 30
Jennifer McClellan
Representative, Virginia
“The only path forward is to continue with President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, not only on the ballot but in the White House.” June 30
Tony Evers
Governor, Wisconsin
“One debate doesn’t change how President Biden has delivered for Wisconsin over the last three and a half years. I supported President Biden four years ago, and I support him still today.” June 28*
Tim Walz
Governor, Minnesota
“And I think the American people understand that this president has delivered. There’s a lot of folks supporting him.” June 28
John Hickenlooper
Senator, Colorado
“President Biden has my full confidence as president and if he chooses to remain in the race, he’ll have my full support.” June 28
Jack Reed
Senator, Rhode Island
“It’s a difference between a bad initial debate and a very bad presidency, which Donald Trump can claim.” June 28
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Representative, Florida
“I am confident that Joe Biden will keep America’s economy humming, create millions of jobs, and will fiercely protect Social Security, Medicare and our basic freedoms and democracy.” June 28
Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation
“Joe Biden’s presidency has been among the most productive and successful in American history.” June 28
