Cracks are beginning to appear in President Biden’s support within the Democratic Party, fueling questions about whether he will remain at the top of the ticket heading into Election Day.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a nearly 30-year veteran of the House, broke through Biden’s wall of public support among elected lawmakers on Tuesday, becoming the first Democratic member of Congress to publicly appeal to him to withdraw from the 2024 race.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district that was once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw,” Doggett said in a statement. “President Biden should do the same.”
Meanwhile, moderate Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) published an op-ed on Bangor Daily NewsTuesday that said “Donald Trump will win. And I’m OK with that,” while rejecting Biden’s central argument that Trump is “a unique threat to our democracy.” Golden’s district broke for Trump by just over six percentage points in 2020.
And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a close Biden ally, told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that it is “legitimate” to ask both candidates “is this an episode or is this a condition,” raising questions about the veteran Democrat’s confidence in Biden as a candidate. But later that day, his spokesman, Ian Krager, said that “Speaker Pelosi has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025.”
While the dam has not yet broken — the vast majority of Democratic politicians, including the party’s most senior, stand by Biden — lawmakers’ comments Tuesday mark a shift in tone that suggests an erosion of support for Biden since the debate. a worrying reality for the incumbent’s campaign.
Some Democrats say that with the first lawmaker on record calling for Biden to resign, others may follow suit.
“I would think so, but I’m not sure,” one House Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic, told The Hill in a text message when asked whether Doggett’s call will cause others to come out of the woodwork.
It is true that the White House, Biden’s campaign and their main representatives have made it clear that their candidate has no plans to abandon the race and are moving forward with his candidacy. Biden spoke at a rally over the weekend, is scheduled to visit Wisconsin on Friday and will meet with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulous for his first post-debate interview this week.
But the deterioration in public support among Democrats is becoming clearer by the day — and it’s not limited to sitting lawmakers.
Adam Frisch, the Colorado Democrat running for Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colorado) seat, said Biden “should do what’s best for the country and withdraw from the race.” Former Obama Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, who ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2020, said the president should step aside from the nomination, telling MSNBC that “there are stronger options for Democrats.”
And former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), another Biden opponent in 2020, called on Vice President Harris to replace Biden as the party’s nominee.
“These videos will be on Tik Tok, on Instagram, on every social media platform,” Ryan told The Hill in an interview. He expressed concern that Biden “does not appear ready to take on Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump or anyone else, which is now on the conscience of all Americans.”
“There is no other way to get through this than to ask him not to run away.”
Early polls also highlight the drop in support for Biden within the Democratic Party and among the electorate in general.
A CNN Pollreleased Tuesday found that 56 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning registered voters feel the party has a better chance of winning the White House with a candidate other than Biden, up from 53 percent in January. Meanwhile, 43% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents said the party should stick with Biden.
A CBS News pollpublished Monday found that 72 percent of registered voters do not think Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, up from 65 on June 9.
The drop in public support for Biden among Democrats is emblematic of ongoing conversations behind the scenes where, according to sources, lawmakers are concerned about the party’s chances in November, with Biden at the top of the ticket.
One House Democrat told The Hill on Friday, the day after the debate, that “it’s time for him to step aside,” noting that’s the sentiment shared by many in the caucus.
“We were all hanging out this morning, a group of us together on something. There’s no one I’ve spoken to right now who doesn’t think it’s time for him to step aside,” added the lawmaker, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive deliberations.
A second House Democrat, who also requested anonymity, would not say whether Biden should withdraw from the race, but revealed that members are concerned about his standing as the party’s nominee.
“There’s a lot of talk — talk here, talk from friends at home — saying we need someone who can articulate our message, and we didn’t see that last night,” the lawmaker said. “A lot of people are saying this… [A] most of the people I talked to today.”
Rep. James Clyburn (D.S.C.), who served in House Democratic leadership for more than two decades before resigning earlier this year, reiterated Tuesday that he would support Vice President Harris if Biden stepped aside, giving credit to the notion that the president may renounce his place as the party’s presumptive candidate.
In an interview later in the day with “The Hill on NewsNation,” the veteran South Carolina Democrat said he plans to speak with Biden on Tuesday or Wednesday, when he will tell the incumbent “what I really feel,” which will not include advice. to “get out of the race”.
At the same time, however, Clyburn said he expects Biden’s team to provide answers to the electorate.
“I think the American people want an explanation, they need to be reassured,” Clyburn said, referring to the aftermath of Thursday’s debate. “And I hope that in the next few days you will do so.”
Caroline Vakil contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
