Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff called on President Joe Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday.
Schiff — a high-profile Democrat — made a public appeal to Biden to quit the race so that a different candidate can be on the ticket against former President Donald Trump in November, the congressman told the Los Angeles Times. The California Democrat, who is also running for Senate, becomes the 21st congressional Democrat to have called upon Biden to drop out following the president’s disastrous performance in his first presidential debate against Trump in June, according to The New York Times.
Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better,” Schiff said in his statement to the Los Angeles Times. “But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.” (RELATED: ‘Run Against Me’: Biden Challenges Dem Detractors To Try To Take Him Out At Convention In ‘Morning Joe’ Interview)
‘Whatever He Decides’: Nancy Pelosi Evades On Whether She Wants Biden To Run As MSNBC Host Presses Her pic.twitter.com/nfsw86c2Bp
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 10, 2024
The decision about whether to stay in the race “is President Biden’s alone,” Schiff told the outlet, adding that he thinks it is time for Biden “to pass the torch” to a different candidate and “secure his legacy of leadership.” However, Schiff made clear to the outlet that he will still support Biden or whoever else may be on the ticket in November.
“I will do everything I can to help them succeed,” Schiff told the Los Angeles Times. “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”
The internal Democratic effort to push Biden out of the race is reportedly back on after the failed assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday altered the nation’s political landscape. Numerous national, swing state and internal polls show that Trump is currently in the driver’s seat as November draws closer, prompting a major Democratic concern about Biden’s prospects and even the outcomes of key congressional races down the ballot. (RELATED: Dem Lawmaker Says Trump Will Win In November And ‘Democracy Will Be Just Fine’)
Moreover, leading Democratic donors are reportedly freezing about $90 million in donations to a major pro-Biden political action committee (PAC) unless or until Biden gets out of the race. However, the president has so far shown no intention of stepping aside to make space for a different candidate to run against Trump, as he and his campaign have both vociferously dismissed suggestions that he should quit as an elite narrative that is out of touch with how voters feel about the president and his record.
Schiff, one of the leading promoters of the debunked Russiagate investigation into Trump, won the Democratic primary for the Senate seat currently occupied by fellow Democrat LaPhonza Butler. The late Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein formerly occupied the seat, to which Butler was appointed by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom after Feinstein passed away in September 2023.
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