Here are the Democrats who are calling for Biden to end his reelection bid or voicing concerns about his candidacy – Yahoo! Voices

In the week since his highly criticized performance in the first televised debate of the 2024 presidential election, President Biden has remained defiant in the face of growing concern about his fitness for reelection.

But his efforts to reassure voters of his ability to beat former President Donald Trump a second time have done little to suppress the mounting pressure from his party and a volley of pundits for him to reconsider his candidacy.

Five elected Democrats have now called for Biden to step aside in his reelection bid, and a number of other party leaders have voiced concerns.

A string of editorials from mainstream news outlets calling for Biden to suspend his reelection campaign have been followed by reports like one published by the New York Times on Tuesday about Bidens increasingly common and worrisome mental lapses. On Wednesday, Bloomberg Government reported that dozens of Democratic lawmakers are considering signing a letter demanding President Joe Biden withdraw from the race, citing a senior party official.

Biden, meanwhile, has shown no signs of backing down. He sat for his first post-debate interview with ABC News George Stephanopoulos on Friday and rallied in Wisconsin before campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday.

Yahoo News has compiled a running list of all the Democrats who have publicly expressed concerns about Biden continuing his campaign in the wake of the debate. Check back here as this article will be continually updated.

Rep. Angie Craig

Craig, a Democrat who represents Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, issued a statement on Saturday, hours after the ABC interview, for Biden to step aside in the 2024 race.

While noting her respect for Biden's "decades of service," Craig said "given what I saw and heard from the President during last week's debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the President himself following that debate, I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump.

"This is not a decision I've come to lightly, but there is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency," she added, before calling on Biden to drop out of the race and "allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward."

"There is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win," Craig said.

Rep. Mike Quigley

Quigley, an Illinois Democrat, on Friday became the fourth House Democrat to call on Biden to exit the presidential race.

"Mr. President, your legacy is set," he said on MSNBC. "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."

Quigley affirmed his decision in comments following Biden's ABC News interview Friday.

The Illinois representative had previously publicly expressed reservations about Biden continuing his campaign, urging the president to "appreciate at this time just how much it impacts not just his race, but all the other races that are coming in November."

Rep. Seth Moulton

Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Iraq war vet, became the third House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside on Thursday. He did so in an interview with Boston radio station WBUR.

"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," Moulton told WBUR.

Moulton said the mechanism for choosing a new candidate was "yet to be determined" and could include "some sort of primary process" or that Vice President Kamala Harris could emerge as the presidential nominee.

On Wednesday, Moulton had released a statement that had stopped short of calling for Biden to exit, but had recommended "all viable options" be on the table.

Rep. Ral Grijalva

Grijalva became the second House Democrat to call on Biden to drop out. In an interview, he said, "If hes the candidate, Im going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere."

"What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat," he continued, "and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett

Doggett was the first Democrat in office to publicly call for Biden to drop out. In a statement, which circulated on X on July 2, Doggett, of Texas, said Bidens debate performance did not reassure voters and Biden failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trumps lies.

Following Biden's ABC News interview Friday, Doggett said the "need" for Biden to step aside was growing more urgent every day.

Former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan

Ryan published an opinion piece for Newsweek on July 1 that called for Kamala Harris to be the new Democratic nominee.

We have to rip the band aid off! Too much is at stake, Ryan wrote in an X post linking out to his article. Its time!

Gov. Maura Healey

The first-term Massachusetts Democrat issued a statement Friday urging Biden to "listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump."

Healey stopped short of calling for Biden to step aside and praised the president by saying he "saved our Democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years."

"Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump," Healey added.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez

Perez stopped short of officially calling on Biden to drop out in an interview with an ABC affiliate on July 3. The Washington congresswoman said, The truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump. I think the damage has been done by that debate.

Rep. Summer Lee

CBS News reported that during a radio interview, Lee, of Pennsylvania, said that the vice president is the obvious choice for the nominee should Biden decide to drop out.

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster

Kuster, who is the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, told CNN on July 3 that she has conveyed concerns to the White House and the Biden campaign.

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, said the New Hampshire congresswoman. They [the insurrectionists] almost killed me on Jan. 6. The stakes are very high. Im trying to save our democracy.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

While Pelosi was a vocal supporter of Biden over the weekend, during a July 2 interview with MSNBC, she pulled back slightly, saying, I think its a legitimate question to say, Is this an episode or is this a condition? of both candidates.

Rep. James Clyburn

Like Pelosi, Clyburn seemed to soften his previous stance on Biden continuing to run in an interview with MSNBC.

I will support [Harris] if [Biden] were to step aside, the South Carolina congressman said.

Former Obama official and former mayor of San Antonio, Julin Castro

Castro told MSNBC on Tuesday that there are strong options out there for Democrats we have a lot of stable folks that I think could do a better job, including Vice President Harris.

Rep. Jared Golden

In an opinion piece published in a local Maine paper titled Donald Trump is going to win the election and democracy will be just fine, Golden said he was not surprised by Bidens debate performance.

The outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I dont plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And Im OK with that, Golden wrote. The Maine congressman added that he did not plan to vote for Trump. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system.

Sen. Peter Welch

In an interview with Semafor, Welch, of Vermont, criticized the Biden campaign's dismissive attitude regarding his debate performance.

Passivity is not the response that is going to work for us. We all have to be self-conscious, he said. We all have to be acutely aware that our obligation is to the country, even more than the party. Thats the obligation we have whats best for the country.

Rep. Debbie Dingell

One interview isnt going to fix this, Dingell, of Michigan, said in an interview with CNN. I think the campaigns got to listen to people. And by the way, I think the campaign needs to listen to us.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

In a July 1 interview with CBS affiliate WPRI, Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, said he was pretty horrified after watching the debate.

I have never seen that happen before, he said about Bidens performance. I think people want to make sure that this is a campaign thats ready to go and win, that the president and his team are being candid with us about his condition, that this was a real anomaly and not just the way he is these days.

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Here are the Democrats who are calling for Biden to end his reelection bid or voicing concerns about his candidacy - Yahoo! Voices