Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas on Tuesday became the first sitting Democratic member of Congress to call on U.S. President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, a huge moment for the Democratic Party as Doggett says publicly what many elected officials had been speculating about privately.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw,” Doggett said in his statement. “President Biden should do the same.”
Doggett’s statement magnifies the pressure surrounding the president and his team, who have been trying to tamp down party concerns in the wake of Biden’s disappointing debate performance against former President Donald Trump last week.
In calling on Biden to step aside, Doggett said the president could help usher in a new generation of leadership to help the party achieve its ultimate goal: defeating Trump.
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw,” Doggett said. “I respectfully call on him to do so.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois had signaled an openness to replace Biden as the party’s presidential nominee.
“I think his four years are one of the great presidencies of our lifetime, but I think he has to be honest with himself,” Quigley told Kasie Hunt on CNN “This Morning.” “This is a decision he’s going to have to make.”
“We have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night, but I won’t go beyond that out of my respect and understanding of President Joe Biden, a very proud person who has served us extraordinarily well for 50 years,” he added.
Even more Democrats have been expressing their concerns behind the scenes.
While the Biden campaign and White House have maintained that the president is staying in the race and have chalked up Biden’s debate performance to a bad night that doesn’t overshadow his accomplishments, lawmakers from across the party have been reaching out to share their anxieties about Biden remaining at the top of the ticket.
A House Democratic lawmaker told CNN that, “There’s a large and increasing group of House Democrats concerned about the president’s candidacy, representing a broad swath of the caucus. We are deeply concerned about his trajectory and his ability to win. We want to give him space to make a decision [to step aside] but we will be increasingly vocal about our concerns if he doesn’t.”