Democrats from across the country are weighing whether President Joe Biden should continue running as their party’s presidential nominee.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/AFP
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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/AFP
Democrats have long acknowledged concerns about President Joe Biden’s age and ability to lead the country for a second term, but Biden’s disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27 has thrown the president’s campaign into crisis.
Biden and his campaign have realized that the coming days will be critical in convincing voters and his party of his ability to win the election. They also insist he will remain in the race. But public displays of Biden’s vulnerabilities have prompted calls from Democratic members of Congress for Biden to resign as the party’s presidential nominee, while others continue to support the president and a growing number of Democrats are expressing concern about Biden.
NPR is tracking which Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to drop out of the race, expressed concerns or expressed support for Biden’s bid for president.
This list will be updated as more Democrats become involved.
Calls for Biden to step down
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.)
Support Biden
Governor Kathy Hochul (NY)
Governor Tim Walz (Minnesota)
Governor Wes Moore (Maryland)
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)
Governor Gavin Newsom (California)
represent. John Garamendi (D-Calif.)
express concern
Governor Josh Green (D-Hawaii) – Green, a close Biden ally, said he was shocked after watching the debate. But Greene said he would continue to support Biden, who assured him at a July 3 meeting with 24 other Democratic governors that Green attended.Would give up going to Kamala [Harris],” Green said in an interview with NPR.
“The president must make this decision with his lifelong colleagues in the Senate and his wife. Jill Biden is a superstar. They will make the right decision,” Green added. He said Vice President Harris should be the Democratic nominee if Biden chooses to step down.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) – Gluesenkamp Perez, who is fighting to defend her seat in a traditionally Republican-leaning district, distanced herself from Biden after the debate, although she stopped short of directly calling on him to resign from the party Nominator’s position. “About 50 million Americans watched this debate,” she told KATU News. “I was one of them, for about five very agonizing minutes. We all saw what we saw, and you There’s no way to undo that, and I think the fact is that Biden is going to lose to Trump. I know it’s difficult, but I think the damage has been done by this debate.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)) – The South Carolina congressman and close Biden ally initially encouraged his colleagues to stand with Biden immediately after the debate, telling CNN, “I don’t It’s been argued for years that Joe Biden has a problem leading over the next four years because he’s done such a good job leading over the past three and a half years. But his message has since changed: Clyburn discussed The possibility of a “mini primary” on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) – Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) did not directly say whether he would support Biden’s candidacy, but spoke to the local Bangor Daily News days after the presidential debate. An op-ed titled “Donald Trump Will Remain in the Campaign.”
Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) – In an interview with local CBS station in San Diego, when asked if he “absolutely supports” Biden, Peters said, “I don’t think we can yet.” He called the Biden campaign’s response to the debate “arrogant,” And called on them to come up with a plan to win the election: “We want to know what their plan is to win this election and turn those numbers around. If they don’t have a plan, then I think we have to go in a different direction.”
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) – Asked if Biden was the party’s best choice to defeat Trump in the general election, Huffman told CNN, “I don’t know.” “We have to admit that this is not just a bad night,” Huffman added. “This is a fairly common and widespread sentiment that has been dragging down President Biden’s support in the polls for months.”
Governor Maura Healey (D-Mass.) – Healey released a statement thanking Biden for his leadership and praising his work so far. But she left room for Biden to step down as the nominee.
“The best way forward at this time is for the president to make a decision,” Healey said in a statement shared with NPR. “In the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he is still the right choice for us.” Our best hope of defeating Donald Trump.
“No matter what President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump.”
