House Veterans Affairs Committee (D-CA) Chairman Mark Takano speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, August 10, 2022, along with members of the congressional delegation who recently traveled to the Indo-Pacific region , DC.
Anna Money Tree | Getty Images News | Getty Images
california congressman Mark Takano President Joe Biden was publicly urged on Saturday to drop out of the race against former President Donald Trump and instead put Vice President Kamala Harris at the helm.
Takano is the 36th Democrat capitol hill Calls for Biden to publicly withdraw from the race, though dozens more have reportedly expressed their concerns privately.
“President Biden's greatest achievement remains saving democracy in 2020. He can and must do it again in 2024 and pass the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee,” Takano said in the statement.
“It has become clear to me that the demands of a modern campaign are now best met by the vice president, who can transition seamlessly into the role of our party's standard-bearer,” he said.
Takano was one of several senior Democratic committee members who expressed his concerns about Biden's re-election bid in a private meeting with him in early July. house democrats lead.
His statement on Saturday formally added him to a growing group of Democratic lawmakers calling for Biden to step down.
Takano has also positioned himself within the party, viewing Harris as the rightful heir apparent to the top candidate with at least $91 million in campaign funds. Other Democrats have been seeking an open convention.
Concerns about Bean's age and ability to win in November have left deep rifts within the Democratic Party since Bean's June 27 debate defeat by Trump. Despite his steadfast commitment to stay in the race, dozens of Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists have called on him to drop out.
Some Biden allies have stayed away from the pressure campaign and instead support whatever path forward the president chooses.
For example, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remain “deferential” about Biden's decision to continue running, two people familiar with the Clintons' thinking told NBC News on Saturday.
The Clintons have been actively working to maintain donor support for Biden and have told the White House they will do whatever they can to assist, people familiar with the matter said.
The president remains quarantined from the coronavirus in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, despite widening Democratic divisions.
The Biden campaign has continued to openly and defiantly resist growing pressure to withdraw, pledging that the president will remain in the race and return to the campaign trail after emerging from the coronavirus.
“As soon as we get approval, we'll be back on the stump,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Taylor told reporters Saturday morning.
Taylor said Biden is expected to return to the campaign trail “in earnest” next week.
In his absence, Harris has carried the campaign's message.
On Saturday, she will speak at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts. Harris stepped up her support for Biden by participating in a conference call with Democratic donors on Friday, according to NBC News.
“We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our President Joe Biden,” she said. “We're going to win this election. We're going to win.”