Seventh House Democrat calls on Biden to withdraw despite closed-door meeting to air concerns

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race on Tuesday just hours after the party held a closed-door meeting meant to air concerns about his candidacy and debate a path forward ahead of November.

Sherrill lauded Biden’s work over the last three years but argued he needs to step aside because the stakes to defeat former President Donald Trump are “too high.” Sherrill is the seventh House Democrat to call on Biden to suspend his candidacy.

“I know that President Biden and his team have been true public servants and have put the country and the best interests of democracy first and foremost in their considerations,” Sherrill said in a statement. “And because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.”

Sherrill is the first House Democrat to echo calls for Biden to drop out of the race after the caucus met for its meeting on Tuesday morning. That meeting allowed lawmakers to discuss concerns about whether Biden could defeat Trump in November or if he could carry out a second term.

Sherrill, like many other members of her party, praised Biden for the accomplishments of his administration since being sworn in. However, the New Jersey Democrat argued the party needs someone who can “turn the nation’s attention to the urgent threat that Trump presents to our democracy,” something Democrats lamented Biden was unable to do during the first presidential debate last month.

Following Biden’s debate performance combined with months of gaffes and mishaps, eyes turned to congressional Democrats to determine if they should throw a lifeline to the president’s political future.

But lawmakers this week have made only one thing clear: No one is on the same page regarding Biden — but time may be running out to make a top-ballot switch before the party’s nominating convention in August.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said as of right now, the party has “twin goals”: preventing Trump from being reelected and winning the House majority in November.

When asked if Biden has done enough to assuage concerns from voters, Aguilar said, “We’ll see.”

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“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,” Aguilar said. “[Biden] knows that he has to be out there in people’s districts, out in the communities, out in these tough states. He knows that.” And that’s what we’ll see in the days.”

Biden has insisted he will not be dropping out, arguing his worse-than-expected performance was due to his busy travel schedule and intense preparation for the debate. In his ABC interview on Friday, Biden said it would take divine intervention from “the Lord Almighty” to withdraw from the race.