Biden Campaign at Crossroads: Democrats Push for His Race Exit

In the critical days ahead, President Joe Biden faces the reality that many top Democrats are urging him to consider stepping aside from the 2024 election to give the party a better chance of avoiding widespread losses in November.

Isolated at his beach house in Delaware due to a COVID infection, Biden’s already small circle of confidants has become even smaller. Despite his insistence that he can defeat Republican Donald Trump, he now relies heavily on family and a few longtime aides as he contemplates whether to yield to the growing pressure to withdraw from the race.

The Biden For President campaign has scheduled an all-staff meeting for Friday, while the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm plans to meet on the same day. They aim to proceed with a virtual roll call before August 7 to nominate their presidential candidate ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago later this month.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, Biden’s closest ally in Congress and his campaign co-chair, told The Associated Press, “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.”

These next few days are pivotal for both Biden and the Democratic Party. As Trump concludes an enthusiastic Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Democrats are racing against time to consider the extraordinary possibility of Biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their convention.

Amid this turmoil, a majority of Democrats believe Vice President Kamala Harris would make a good president. A recent poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 6 in 10 Democrats think Harris would perform well in the top role. About 2 in 10 Democrats disagree, while another 2 in 10 are unsure.

High-ranking Democrats are pushing Biden to reconsider his candidacy, with former President Barack Obama expressing concerns to allies and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately warning Biden that the party could lose the House if he doesn’t withdraw from the 2024 race.

Late Thursday, Montana Senator Jon Tester became the second Democratic senator and among nearly two dozen in Congress to urge Biden to step aside, saying, “Biden should not seek reelection to another term.”

Despite the increasing calls for him to exit the race, Biden remains committed to his campaign. Senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with Biden about dropping out. However, there is still time to reconsider, as the campaign struggles with fundraising and key Democrats see an opportunity to encourage his exit while he is away from the campaign.

The reporting in this story is based on information from nearly a dozen anonymous sources who discussed 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,” according to the White House.

In a radio interview taped just before he tested positive, Biden dismissed concerns about his political recovery, 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 released Thursday.

However, Democratic lawmakers have begun private conversations about supporting Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker mentioned that Biden’s advisers are divided on what he should do, and more members of Congress are considering joining those who have already called for Biden to step down. Some prefer an open process for selecting a new presidential nominee.

“It’s clear the issue won’t go away,” said Vermont Senator Peter Welch, another Democrat who has publicly suggested Biden should exit the race. Welch described the current state of party anxiety, with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting, as “not sustainable.”

Nevertheless, influential Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are signaling strong concern.

While many still want Biden to remain in the race, nearly two-thirds of Democrats nationwide believe he should step aside and let the party nominate a different candidate, according to an AP-NORC poll. This undermines Biden’s claim that “average Democrats” are still supporting him.