Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, penned a letter to President Biden during the Fourth of July weekend, urging him to reconsider his re-election bid, according to a report.
Raskin (D-Md.) stressed that the two shared a “mad love for American democracy and freedom” and strongly encouraged the incumbent president to consult with other Democrats on the decision.
“There is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow to the overflowing appreciation of the crowd when your arm is tired out, and there is real danger for the team in ignoring the statistics,” Raskin wrote in the July 6 letter, per the New York Times.
“Your situation is tricky because you are both our star pitcher and our manager. But in democracy, as you have shown us more than any prior president, you are not a manager acting all alone; you are the co-manager along with our great team and our great people. Caucus with the team, Mr. President. Hear them out. You will make the right decision.”
Last week, amid the growing chorus of calls from his own party for him to step aside, Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats telling them that he was “firmly committed” to staying in the race.