A Michigan Democrat representing a battleground district became the 10th House member from President Biden’s party to demand he end his re-election bid Thursday.
Rep. Hillary Scholten, whose district covers the cities of Grand Rapids and Muskegon, said in a statement that Biden must “step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up.”
The 42-year-old, who flipped a district formerly held by Republican Peter Meijer in 2022, added that she would “respect” Biden’s decision if the president opted to remain in the race and added she “will still vote for him, as a clear and necessary alternative to Donald Trump” if it came to that
“With the challenges facing our country in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket — not just to win, but to govern,” she said, later adding: “Joe Biden has been that leader for so long; but this is not about the past, it’s about the future. It’s time to pass the torch.”
Scholten is the 11th Democratic member of Congress to call on Biden to bow out, joining Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont and Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Mike Quigley of Illinois, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Adam Smith of Washington, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Pat Ryan of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.
What to know about the fallout from President Biden’s debate performance:
- President Biden’s poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate has left even some Democrats unsure of his fitness for office and future as the party’s candidate.
- Former President Barack Obama admitted that Biden had a “bad” debate, while his rival former President Donald Trump suggested that he was in a “trance” and “choked.”
- Biden told a crowd at a North Carolina rally the day after the debate that he doesn’t “debate as well as I used to” — but insisted that he can still “do this job.”
- The New York Times editorial board called on the president to serve the country by dropping out of the race. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a similar editorial a day later.
- Biden gathered with his family at Camp David to assess the campaign’s future, with his son Hunter reportedly pushing for him to stay in the race. Family members questioned whether the president’s top advisers should be fired after the disastrous debate.
- In a pre-taped interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, Biden claimed that his “bad episode” at the debate was the result of a cold and not any cognitive issues.
- Biden has rejected calls for him to step down from fellow Democrats, insisting to Stephanopoulos that he is the most qualified to win the election. At a Wisconsin rally, he declared that he is “running and going to win again.”
Scholten’s announcement came hours before Biden was set to hold a “big boy” press conference, in the words of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, that is being closely watched by many in Washington for signs the president remains up to the job.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats met during Thursday lunchtime with three top Biden campaign officials, a gathering that was billed as vent session for members of the upper chamber.
Biden insisted Monday in a letter to congressional Democrats that he is “firmly committed” to remaining in the race, later daring dismayed members of his party to challenge him at next month’s national convention in Chicago.
The president’s attempt to quash discontent on Capitol Hill went largely ignored, with former House speaker Nancy Pelosi telling MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday that “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run.
“We’re all encouraging him to make that decision,” she added. “Because time is running short.”
Even Democrats who have stopped short of calling for Biden to step aside have publicly fretted about his chances of losing the presidency and its effects on races down-ballot.
“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) told CNN on Tuesday.
“So for me, this isn’t a question about polling, it’s not a question of politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country, and I think it’s critically important for us to come to grips with what we face if, together, we put this country on the path of electing Donald Trump again.”