Critical days ahead, President Joe Biden is facing the stark reality that many Democrats at the highest levels want him to consider how stepping aside from the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee atop the ticket could be the party’s best chance of preventing widespread losses in November.
Quick Read
- Biden’s Campaign Faces Critical Moment:
- Democratic Push: Many high-level Democrats, including former President Obama and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, are urging Biden to reconsider his bid for the 2024 presidential race, believing it may be the best way to avoid significant losses in November.
- Isolation and Health: Biden, currently isolated at his Delaware beach house due to a COVID-19 infection, is facing increased pressure and a shrinking circle of advisors as he considers his options.
- Internal Discussions: The Biden campaign is holding an all-staff meeting and the Democratic National Committee is planning a virtual roll call ahead of the party convention, exploring the possibility of a new presidential nominee.
- Vice President Kamala Harris: A significant portion of Democrats, about 60%, believe Harris would be a capable president, and there is growing support for her as an alternative candidate.
- Congressional Reactions: Almost two dozen Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Jon Tester and Peter Welch, are publicly calling for Biden to withdraw. Discussions about Harris and other potential nominees are ongoing.
- Polls and Public Opinion: An AP-NORC Center poll shows that nearly two-thirds of Democrats think Biden should step aside, challenging his claim that he still has broad support within the party.
- Campaign Challenges: Biden’s campaign is struggling with fundraising and internal divisions, and some Cabinet members are skeptical about his chances in the upcoming election.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden’s campaign faces critical moment, as Democrats encourage him to consider exiting 2024 race
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
Critical days ahead, President Joe Biden is facing the stark reality that many Democrats at the highest levels want him to consider how stepping aside from the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee atop the ticket could be the party’s best chance of preventing widespread losses in November.
Isolated as he battles a COVID infection at his beach house in Delaware, Biden’s already small circle of confidants before his debate fumbling has downsized further. The president, who has insisted he can beat Republican Donald Trump, is with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he weighs whether to bow to the mounting pressure to drop out.
The Biden For President campaign is calling an all-staff meeting Friday. At the same time, the Democratic National Committee ’s rulemaking arm expects to meet Friday, pressing ahead with plans for a virtual roll call before Aug. 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party’s convention later in the month in Chicago.
“President Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members of the caucus and colleagues in the House and Senate and Democratic leadership and not be battling leaks and press statements,” Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Biden’s closest friend in Congress and his campaign co-chair, told The Associated Press.
It’s a pivotal few days for the president and his party: Trump has wrapped up an enthusiastic Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. And Democrats, racing time, are considering the extraordinary possibility of Biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their own convention. Amid the turmoil, a majority of Democrats think Vice President Kamala Harris would make a good president herself.
A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.
Democrats at the highest levels have been making a critical push for Biden to rethink his election bid, with former President Barack Obama expressing concerns to allies and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately telling Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t step away from the 2024 race.
Late Thursday, Montana Sen. Jon Tester became the second Democrat in the chamber — and now among nearly two dozen in Congress — calling on him to bow out, saying, “Biden should not seek reelection to another term.”
Campaign officials said Biden was even more committed to staying in the race even as the calls for him to go mounted. And senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about Biden dropping out.
But there is also time to reconsider. Biden has been told the campaign is having trouble raising money, and key Democrats see an opportunity as he is away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit. Among his Cabinet, some are resigned to the likelihood of him losing in November.
The reporting in this story is based in part on information from almost a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private deliberations. The Washington Post first reported on Obama’s involvement.
Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling in Las Vegas earlier this week and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general malaise” from the infection, the White House said. The president himself, in a radio interview taped just before he tested positive, dismissed the idea it was too late for him to recover politically, telling Univision’s Luis Sandoval that many people don’t focus on the November election until September. “All the talk about who’s leading and where and how, is kind of, you know — everything so far between Trump and me has been basically even,” he said in an excerpt of the interview released Thursday.
But in Congress, Democratic lawmakers have begun having private conversations about lining up behind Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker said Biden’s own advisers are unable to reach a unanimous recommendation about what he should do. More in Congress are considering joining the others who have called for Biden to drop out. Some prefer an open process for choosing a new presidential nominee.
“It’s clear the issue won’t go away,” said Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, the other Senate Democrat who has publicly said Biden should exit the race. Welch said the current state of party angst — with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting — was “not sustainable.” However, influential Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are sending signals of strong concern.
To be sure, many want Biden to stay in the race. But among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. That sharply undercuts Biden’s post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him.
