Democratic congressman Lloyd Doggett (Tx.) became the first lawmaker in his party Tuesday to urge Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign.
The stunning demand could be just the beginning of a seismic revolt against the embattled president, as he struggles to regain the confidence of Democrats following his disastrous debate performance on CNN.
Democrats are dreading the prospect of Donald Trump regaining the presidency, and they fear a stubborn Biden could wipe out the party down ballot in house and Senate races.
Still, few Democrats have gone public with their concerns even as panic overtakes the party. In a shocking statement Tuesday, Doggett became the first to open his mouth.
"Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory—too great a risk to assume that what could not be turned around in a year, what was not turned around in the debate, can be turned around now," Doggett said in a statement.
"My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly, nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved," Doggett said.
"I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so."
A day after Doggett made his concerns known, they were echoed by Arizona congressman Raúl Grijalva (D).
“If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” he told the New York Times.
Two moderate Democrats in swing districts, Jared Golden (Me.) and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (Wa.), have also predicted that Biden is headed for defeat.
While Biden has yet to lose the support of party leaders, top allies like Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) and James Clyburn (D-Sc.) have equivocated about Biden's future.
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’” Pelosi told MSNBC on Tuesday.
As Democrats spiral, Biden is remaining defiant with his family firmly in his corner. The embattled president insisted he won't be pushed aside in a call with campaign staff Wednesday.
“I am running … no one’s pushing me out,” Biden said. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
