WASHINGTON – The uproar is over President Joe Biden’s re-election bid showed no sign of abating on Sunday, with a fifth senator urging him to withdraw from the race and let Democrats hold a “open process” for a new nominee. Biden’s campaign acknowledged “differing opinions” but said the party would unite to defeat Republicans donald trump.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, an independent who considered a run for the White House this year and as a Democrat has often bucked his party’s leadership, he was the last member of Congress to suggest that Biden focus on the remaining months of his presidency, even as the 81-year-old incumbent plans a return to campaign this week after isolating himself in his Delaware beach house with COVID-19.
“I made the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin said in a series of interviews on Sunday news programs.
Nearly three dozen Democrats in Congress have said it is time for Biden to drop out of the race. Four Democratic senators — Peter Welch of Vermont, Jon Tester of Montana, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sherrod Brown of Ohio — said Biden should drop out.
Biden’s debate performance raised open questions about his ability to mount a convincing campaign to defeat Trump, but the president’s team made clear that Biden is committed to winning a second term and that the campaign was built to win a close election.
“Unlike the Republicans, we are a party that accepts — and even celebrates — differing opinions, but in the end, we will absolutely unite to defeat Donald Trump in November,” said Biden campaign spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg.
Manchin said he is confident Biden will be able to fulfill his mandate, but the senator is concerned about the cost of a campaign.
“I am truly concerned about the health and well-being of the president,” said Manchin, who became an independent in May after decades as a Democrat. He is not seeking re-election to the Senate.
O president’s doctor said Sunday that Biden’s COVID symptoms have “significantly improved,” and Biden said he is ready to return to the campaign trail this week and combat a “bleak vision” put forward by Trump. Biden has insisted he can defeat Trump in a rematch starting in 2020 and has been meeting with family and longtime aides as he resists efforts to oust him.
The Biden campaign on Sunday promoted a joint letter from Democratic Party chairmen from seven swing states that urge Democrats to unite around the president and stop focusing on his political weaknesses.
“We understand the anxiety. But the best antidote to political anxiety is to act. You can’t wring your hands when you’re rolling up your sleeves,” said the party chairs in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.
However, Manchin said Biden should clear the way for other Democrats and spend the rest of his term as “the president he always wanted to be, able to bring the country together, bring it back together” and focus on the war in Gaza and in Russia. invasion of Ukraine. The outcome, Manchin said, would mean being “able to show the rest of the world the orderly transfer of power from the world superpower.”
He also said, “I truly believe the Democratic Party needs an open process” to choose a new candidate. Manchin said he was not trying to replace Kamala Harris, the vice president. “What matters is healthy competition,” Manchin said.
Manchin, a former governor himself, said, “I think we have a lot of talent on the bench, a lot of good people, and I’m biased toward governors because a governor can’t afford to be biased. They can’t afford to be strictly partisan, because that pothole or that bridge doesn’t have a D or an R.”
He mentioned the governors. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who, he said, “didn’t divide their state. They didn’t make you choose a side and demonize the other side. They brought people together. That’s what an open process would do, I think. It would bring more people into a process that could bring back Democrats like me.”
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who unsuccessfully challenged Biden in the primary, said he knew it would mean the end of his career in Congress.
“Joe Biden has had an extraordinary career. I can’t come close to what he did,” Phillips said. “But it’s hard to let go of that and I recognize that. But he has to do it. He has to put this country first.”
But the Democratic National Committee The legislative branch is moving forward with plans for a virtual call before Aug. 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party convention later this month in Chicago.
Some of the president’s supporters in the news fought calls for his withdrawal. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said Biden has a coalition of support that includes African-American women, blue-collar workers and seniors who voted for him in the primaries.
“If he feels intimidated, those voters will feel like they were intimidated,” Khanna said.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., who is credited with helping Biden win his first term, said Democrats should look for ways to unite around Biden’s candidacy.
“I support Joe Biden. He’s still in this race. He will be our nominee if he stays in the race,” Clyburn said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, also warned that an effort to replace Biden at the top of the ticket could face legal challenges after about 14 million people voted for him in Democratic primaries across the country.
“It would be wrong, and I think illegal under the rules in some of these states, for a bunch of people to go into a back room and change the device because they don’t like the candidate anymore. That’s not how this is supposed to work,” he said.
Manchin has been on CNN’s “State of the Union,” ABC’s “This Week” and CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Khanna was on ABC. Johnson was on ABC and CNN. Phillips was on CBS and Clyburn appeared on CNN.
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Superville reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
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