Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first Democratic lawmaker to openly call on President Biden to step aside. But according to a Reuters report, more than two dozen congressional Democrats are preparing to do the same.
The possible move comes as a post-debate survey from Reuters/Ipsos found one in three Democrats believe the president should end his re-election campaign. He's also under pressure from donors, analysts, and editorial boards who fear if he remains in the race a Trump victory in November is all but certain.
There are 25 Democratic members of the House of Representatives preparing to call for Biden to step aside if he seems shaky in coming days, according to one House Democratic aide.
A second House Democratic aide said moderate House Democrats in competitive districts - often called "frontliners" - were getting hammered with questions in their districts this week. […]
"It looks like the dam has broken," the second aide said. (Reuters)
Some of those close to the president, including White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, said Biden's debate performance was a bad night and not indicative of his overall mental fitness. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's editorial board called such explanations "insulting to the American people."
“This wasn’t a bad night; it was confirmation of the worst fears of some of Biden’s most ardent supporters — that after 36 years in the U.S. Senate, eight more as vice president and a term in the White House, age has finally caught up to him,” the board said in calling on Biden to leave the presidential race.
