Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is trying to gather a group of his Democratic colleagues to ask Biden to withdraw from the race, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Several other outlets later confirmed that Warner is organizing a meeting on the matter on Monday.
“Like many other people in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president’s campaign, and he has made that clear to the White House,” Warner’s spokesperson, Rachel Cohen, told the Post.
Another Democratic senator told the outlet that “there is a sense among many that the current path may not be sustainable for him” and that Biden “obviously has to show strength right now.”
As of Friday, no Democratic senator has publicly called for Biden to step aside. Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania both reaffirmed their support for the president on Friday. Many member of Congress, however, have remained silent or dodged questions about whether they have confidence in him going forward.
Two House Democrats — Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Raúl Grijalva of Arizona —have publicly called for Biden to drop out, while two others have declared that former President Donald Trump will win the election.
Meanwhile, Biden publicly affirmed on Friday that he’s “staying in the race” during a campaign speech in Wisconsin.
Let me say this as clearly as I can:
I’m the sitting President of the United States.
I’m the nominee of the Democratic party.
I’m staying in the race.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 5, 2024
Asked about Warner’s effort by reporters later on Friday, Biden claimed that the Virginia Democrat was “the only one.”
President Biden says he’s talked to at least 20 members of Congress.
He was asked about Sen. Mark Warner wanting him to step aside and said “he’s the only one.”
— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) July 5, 2024
Biden’s campaign is facing a critical moment, with some pining for Vice President Kamala Harris — or another potential Democratic candidate — to take his place at the top of the ticket.
A key moment for the president will be his sit-down interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, which is set to air at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
