Democrats’ effort to push Joe Biden off ticket hits uncertainty
An effort by some Democrats to seek an alternative to Joe Biden as the party’s nominee faced new uncertainty, with frustrated lawmakers struggling to find a path forward after the president said he was dead set against stepping aside.
An effort by some Democrats to seek an alternative to President Biden as the party’s nominee faced new uncertainty, with frustrated lawmakers struggling to find a path forward after the president said he was dead set against stepping aside.
The situation remained in flux, after House and Senate Democrats held conference meetings for the first time since Biden flopped at June’s presidential debate. His performance heightened concerns that the 81-year-old incumbent couldn’t beat former President Donald Trump and may not be fit enough for another four years even if he did win.
Lawmakers aired their frustrations with their predicament, but a concerted push to install a new nominee didn’t emerge, even as a seventh House Democrat publicly called for Biden to make way for a new candidate. Private meetings ended without consensus, leaving the stare-down without a clear resolution less than four months until Election Day.
“Like I said before, I’m with Joe,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) repeated multiple times in response to questions at his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Schumer’s terse comments followed a lengthy lunch meeting with Senate Democrats, most of whom refused to talk to reporters afterward. Some looked dejected. “The president said it’s in his hands,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.). Asked if Biden should remain on the ticket, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said, “That still remains to be seen.” “I think it was a constructive conversation,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.), a close Biden ally. Coons didn’t answer when asked whether anyone at the lunch called for Biden to leave the race.
Inside House Democrats’ own closed-door meeting, the mood was somber, with some lawmakers shedding tears in an emotionally wrenching gathering. Phones and Apple Watches were confiscated to prevent instant leaks. Lawmakers who have called for Biden to step aside stood before the room and told colleagues that the party needs a different candidate. The majority of lawmakers stood by Biden, however, saying the debate was one bad night and pointing to his successes, according to two people familiar with the meeting.
“Right now, President Biden is the nominee, and we support the Democratic nominee that will beat Donald Trump,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D., Calif.), a member of party leadership, speaking to reporters after the meeting. “Let’s see. Let’s see the press conference. Let’s see the campaign stops. Let’s see all of this, because all of it is going to be necessary.” “There is an anxiety that is felt across the country. It’s not just in that room and it’s not just with donors and it’s not just with Democrats, ” said Rep. Greg Landsman (D., Ohio). Asked if Democrats were on the same page, Rep. Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.) said “we’re not even in the same book.” One person familiar with the meeting said the party seemed evenly split on Biden.
“One-third of the caucus wants him gone, one-third want him to stay, and one-third are resigned he is the nominee but think he is going to lose.” Biden has repeatedly said that he plans to stay in the race, issuing a letter Monday to congressional colleagues calling for talk of a replacement to cease.
Biden on Tuesday evening spoke at an opening event for a gathering of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Washington. Standing in the auditorium where NATO was signed into existence in 1949, he drew applause for his robust defense of the alliance and for his support of Ukraine, stating: “Ukraine can and will stop Putin.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that there is a “long list” of lawmakers who back Biden. “We do want to turn the page, ” she said, and “get to the other side of this.” Some lawmakers who had privately said they believed Biden needed to step aside changed their tune Tuesday. “The president made very clear yesterday that he is running. To me, that’s dispositive. We have to support him,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.
Only seven House lawmakers have publicly called for Biden to quit the race, with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D., N.J.), saying Tuesday that Biden should “declare that he won’t run for re-election and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.” Behind the scenes, many members continue to harbor doubts about the president’s ability to make what they believe is a strong case on the campaign trail. Polls show Biden trailing Trump, with most voters thinking the president is too old to serve.
“It is really important for us as Democrats to have an open discussion and to have an open debate to ensure that we are on a path to winning the White House, to winning the Senate, to winning the House,” said Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.), ahead of senators’ lunch meeting. “And I think that’s an act not of disloyalty but of loyalty, and I hope the president sees it that way.” Biden has begun making the rounds to lawmakers after the debate last month. Subsequent media appearances have done little to quell concerns. He plans to have a virtual conversation with Democratic mayors on Tuesday night, according to a person familiar with the plans.
He spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday night and touted legislative successes that have helped Black constituents, according to a person on the call, but he didn’t talk about his health. “You’ve had my back and I’ll continue to have yours,” he said.
Members of the Black and progressive caucuses have been among his fiercest defenders.
“I think the conversation is important to have right now, because people do have concerns,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), head of the progressive caucus. “I just don’t think it should be in public. And I think at the end of the day, he is our nominee right now till he’s not our nominee.” Democrats have framed a potential Trump win as an existential threat, pointing to his campaign pledges to expand executive power and start mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
Biden won almost all of the delegates in a largely uncontested primary. Biden’s critics have been pushing him to step aside voluntarily, seeing the chances of a majority of delegates defying their pledge to the president as remote.
Trump said he believes Biden will stay in the race. “He’s got an ego, and he doesn’t want to quit,” Trump said on Fox News.
Lindsay Wise, Catherine Lucey and Owen Tucker-Smith contributed to this article.
The Wall Street Journal
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