Senate Democrats will not meet Monday to discuss President Biden’s reelection efforts, according to a source familiar with Sen. Mark Warner’s (D-Va.) thinking.
Axes had previously reported that Warner was leading efforts to organize a meeting on Monday night to discuss Biden’s re-election efforts. According to a source familiar with Warner’s thinking, this meeting was never scheduled because leaked details of the meeting idea made a private conversation impossible.
Axes reported for the first time that there would be no meeting on Monday.
The source did not confirm what the details of the possible meeting would be, noting that Warner did not take a position on whether Biden should drop out of the race after a difficult debate performance.
Two sources familiar with Warner’s efforts told The Hill earlier this week that Warner has been rallying support among Democrats to call on Biden to abandon his re-election bid, saying Biden’s candidacy could pose risks to relatively safe Democratic seats.
The Washington Post first reported Warner’s efforts last week, but a spokesperson for Warner’s office did not confirm the report at the time.
“Like many others in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president’s campaign and has made that clear to the White House,” the spokesperson told the Post in a statement.
When asked about the report as he left a campaign event in Wisconsin last week, Biden said “he’s the only one.” When asked again about the reports during an interview with ABC News on Friday, Biden called the senator “a good man.”
“Mark and I have a different perspective. I respect him,” Biden added later in the interview.
The president has come under fire in recent weeks following a lackluster debate that led many Democrats and pundits to raise concerns about whether Biden would win a second term. Some Democrats also called on the president to step aside from the race.
At least four top House Democrats also said in a private phone call Sunday afternoon that Biden would drop out of the race, according to sources familiar with the matter.
While Biden faces some calls to step aside, he has remained adamant that he will remain in the race. Many Democrats and other public officials also publicly supported Biden in the days following the debate.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
