New Democrat Coalition vice chairman calls on Biden to withdraw from race

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), vice chairman of the New Democrat Coalition, called on President Joe Biden to suspend his reelection campaign and allow the party to select a new nominee.

“I love President Biden. I am forever grateful for his leadership and service to our nation,” Schneider said in a statement on Thursday. “The time has come, however, for President Biden to heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue.”

The New Dem Coalition, the largest Democratic caucus in the House, is made up of 100 House Democrats, and Schneider speaks frequently with the most vulnerable members of the party. The Illinois lawmaker is the 12th congressional Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw — showing the president’s resolve is slipping among even the most establishment Democrats.

The congressman joins Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Angie Craig (D-MN), Adam Smith (D-WA), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Pat Ryan (D-NY), and Hillary Scholten (D-MI) in calling for Biden to suspend his campaign. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) has also asked Biden to step aside.

Schneider, Ryan, Sherrill, and Scholten are the first four House members to call on Biden to withdraw since the caucus held a meeting at the DCCC on Tuesday, from which lawmakers left divided over Biden’s political future. Many have stated this week that it’s “Biden’s decision” whether he stays in the race, insinuating that the choice is not final — despite the president repeatedly stating in private and public settings that he will run in the 2024 election.

Eyes will be on Biden this evening when he addresses a press conference and answers questions from reporters. There are multiple reports that a handful of House Democrats are preparing statements calling on Biden to withdraw from the race either before the conference or afterward if the president performs poorly.

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Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) told the Washington Examiner that she is still supporting Biden despite her fellow Michigan member and others coming out against him.

“I just think they’re letting people know, particularly in the caucus, like, ‘Hey, we don’t have control here on that front,’” Stevens said. “He has made really clear this isn’t a question for him. I support that. And I agree with that. Why? Because I understand that the decisions that come before our president are uniquely his or hers to make, and this is one of those ones.”