Former House Democrat calls on Harris to replace Biden as cracks form in party

Former Democratic Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan is calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to take over for President Joe Biden as the party’s 2024 nominee, calling the president’s debate performance “deeply troubling” and evidence the party must move forward. 

Ryan, who once ran for president himself in 2020, has long stood behind Biden and was the first of his challengers in the last cycle to drop out of the Democratic primary to endorse his candidacy. However, now the former congressman is calling on Harris to replace Biden at the top of the ticket. 

“It isn’t just about a 90-minute debate and a terrible performance,” Ryan wrote in an op-ed for Newsweek. “This election needs to be about generational change — something about which I have been shouting for more than a year now.”

Ryan argued that much of Biden’s campaign platform in 2020 was to be a “bridge president” to oust former President Donald Trump and open the door for a new candidate in 2024. But “that bridge collapsed last week” with Biden’s debate performance, Ryan wrote, making it imperative to tap a new candidate who is better fit to face Trump in November. 

“Witnessing Joe Biden struggle was heartbreaking,” said Ryan, who also ran for the Senate in 2022 and lost to Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). “And we must forge a new path forward.”

And that candidate, he said, is Harris. 

Ryan argued Harris would be a better communicator than Biden on key issues such as abortion as well as a key energizer among black voters and suburban counties. The vice president would also be better at articulating the party’s message on things such as infrastructure and crime, the former congressman said. 

“America is craving this generational change. You can feel it in the air. It’s time for the Democratic Party to let go of the past and give the American people what they want. And they want to be excited about America again,” Ryan wrote. “That future begins with Kamala Harris. I hope the powers that be in our party have the guts and vision to make that happen.”

Ryan’s comments come as other Democratic lawmakers acknowledge Biden’s poor debate performance but have largely stopped short of saying he should be replaced as the nominee — at least for now. But others have gradually become more public in suggesting an alternative path forward, raising questions about whether the party is seriously considering replacing Biden as the nominee. 

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) noted that Biden’s debate “wasn’t just a horrible night” for the president, and Biden must “be honest with himself” as he considers his place on the ballot in 2024. 

“I won’t go beyond that, out of my respect and understanding of President Joe Biden, the very proud person who has served us extraordinarily well for 50 years,” Quigley told CNN. “I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much it impacts not just his race but all the other races coming in November.”

Many Democratic lawmakers were quick to come to Biden’s defense in the aftermath of the debate, contrasting his performance with the “lies” of the former president even as they admitted his stumbles were a setback. Even so, top party leaders generally resisted the call from some Democratic operatives for Biden to step down so another candidate can take his place at the top of the ticket.

And while Biden’s allies on Capitol Hill admitted it was a worse-than-expected performance, they argued the president still has four months to make his case. 

“That was strike one. If this were a ballgame, he’d get two more swings,” said Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), a top Biden ally credited with helping the president win in 2020. “You get three strikes in baseball.”

Meanwhile, Republicans seized on Biden’s performance to call for his immediate removal. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) filed a resolution Friday that would compel Harris to convene the president’s Cabinet and activate Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to declare Biden “incapable of executing the duties of his office.” In doing so, Harris would then succeed Biden as acting president. 

It’s not clear when Roy would call for a vote on his resolution, but the congressman said he plans to speak with the House parliamentarian on steps to expedite the process. It appears Roy has support from House GOP leaders, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) telling reporters Friday that Biden’s Cabinet should begin having conversations about the president’s ability to carry out the remainder of his term. 

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The White House has remained confident in Biden’s abilities to serve a second term, brushing off suggestions that the president should step down or back out of the race. In a campaign speech after the debate, Biden acknowledged that although he is no longer a “young man,” he can hold a second term. 

“Folks, I would not be running again if I did not believe with all of my heart and soul that I can do this job,” he told supporters in New York last week.