Congressional Democrats appear to still be moving full steam ahead with their calls for President Joe Biden to stand aside and allow a new leader to step up.
While most attention has been fixated on former President Donald Trump getting shot at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, followed by his selection of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate on Monday, calls from Democrats for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race appeared to stall.
The pause in calls for Biden to exit the race was likely a reprieve for the president, who has been under scrutiny since his poor debate performance on June 27.
However, of the 19 Democrats who had previously called for Biden to step aside, it appears that none of them are looking to walk back their desire for a new nominee. Spokespeople for Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), the last vulnerable New York Democrat, and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) told the Washington Examiner that their position on Biden’s candidacy has not changed.
Four days since the latest Democrat, Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA), called on Biden to withdraw, the president’s political future was once again thrust under a microscope on Tuesday when news broke that congressional Democrats are circulating a letter that calls on the Democratic National Committee not to conduct a virtual roll call to nominate Biden weeks ahead of the convention.
“Proceeding with the ‘virtual roll call’ in the absence of a valid legal rationale will be rightly perceived as a purely political maneuver, which we believe would be counterproductive and undermine party unity and cohesion,” the letter stated. “Moreover, it would contradict what President Biden himself has repeatedly said to members of Congress in recent days, telling us that anyone who wants to challenge his nomination should do so ‘at the convention.’”
A spokesperson for Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), who represents a swing district marked a “toss-up” for the 2024 election, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that she is planning to sign on to the letter.
Rep. Jared Huffman’s (D-CA) office told the Washington Examiner that the letter has not been sent yet and is still circulating. The congressman is not leading it, according to his office.
”Rep. Huffman and other members are very concerned with this extraordinary attempt to speed up the nomination and do not think brute force is the way to achieve unity and enthusiasm,” a spokesperson for Huffman said.
A virtual roll call would mean Biden would only need to suffer through a few more weeks of criticism before he is named the Democratic nominee for president. Several of the 19 Democrats who said they would like to see Biden pass the torch also said if he is selected as the nominee, they would support him.
Many Democrats have argued that Biden is not a strong enough candidate to defeat the former president in the 2024 election. Battleground House Democrats who are concerned a ticket with Biden at the top will backfire on down-ballot races are reportedly confiding in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), according to Politico.
Pelosi set off a storm last week when she said it was Biden’s decision on whether to stay in the race, insinuating that despite the president’s many remarks that he would see the campaign through, his choice was not yet finalized.
Biden has remained adamant that he plans to stay in the race and that despite concerns about his mental acuity, he is up to the task of serving for a second term if reelected.
During a Monday night interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, Biden argued that his mental acuity has been “pretty damn good” and that he alone was making the decision to stay in the race.
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In the days after the shooting, Republicans have hailed Trump as a hero, propping up support for him even more while, comparatively, Biden is losing steam among his supporters.
“It’s impossible to be sure if Trump is stronger electorally after last weekend and the RNC, but he sure as hell isn’t weaker,” a Democratic aide told the Washington Examiner.