After hinting of his concerns for several days, Rep. Scott Peters said bluntly Thursday that President Biden should withdraw from the 2024 campaign.
“Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign,” said Peters. “The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course.”
Peters, a Democrat who represents the 50th District in coastal San Diego County, issued a statement shortly after Biden completed a widely televised press conference.
“My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him,” said Peters.
He said the nation “owes an enormous debit of gratitude” to Biden for his long service and accomplishments as President, but his performance in debating former President Donald Trump “raised real concern” over Biden’s ability to win again.
“We must find a candidate from our deep bench of talent who can defeat Donald Trump,” said Peters. “I hope all Democrats will join me in putting the country first, preserving the progress of the past four years, and solidifying Joe Biden’s legacy as one of the great leaders of our time — by defeating Donald Trump.”
As he has in multiple appearances since the debate, Biden, at his news conference Thursday, dug in on his determination to stay in the race.
“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started,” he said.
“… My schedule has been full bore. So if I slow down and I can’t get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet – none,” he insisted.
Biden at times made a forceful case for his candidacy, touting the record of his first term and what he characterized as the positive tone of the just-concluded NATO conference. However, Biden also made two more verbal gaffes that did no go unnoticed.
He referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” near the top of the news conference, and earlier introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin,” mixing him up with the president of Russia, which is at war with Ukraine. Biden quickly corrected that mistake.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, was still backing Biden as of Tuesday.
At that time he posted on social media that “The President met with @DemMayors tonight to share his vision for a second term. His agenda for cities, families and workers is solid — and far better than Donald Trump’s scary Project 2025. Mayors have @JoeBiden’s back and we’ll help reelect him and @KamalaHarris this fall.”
An increasing number of Democratic leaders have urged Biden to withdraw after the debate amplified concerns that the 81-year-old president is too old for a second term.
While many lawmakers have expressed unease with Biden’s continued candidacy — and others have steadfastly backed the incumbent’s plans — here are others who have directly called for Biden to not run again.
SEN. PETER WELCH: “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race,” the senator from Vermont wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. Welch was the first Democratic U.S. senator to call on Biden to step aside as a candidate.
REP. ERIC SORENSEN: “It is more important than ever that our neighbors have a candidate for President who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country,” Sorensen, who represents a district in Illinois, said in a statement posted on X.
“I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for President.”
REP. JIM HIMES: “The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism. I no longer believe that is Joe Biden,” Himes, who represents a district in Connecticut, wrote in a statement posted on X.
REP. GREG STANTON: “For the sake of American democracy, and to continue to make progress on our shared priorities, I believe it is time for the President to step aside as our nominee,” Stanton, who represents a district in the key state of Arizona, said in a statement.
REP. ED CASE: “My guidepost is what is the best way forward for our country. I do not believe President Biden should continue his candidacy for re-election as President,” Case, of Hawaii, said in a statement.
REP. BRAD SCHNEIDER: “I love President Biden. I am forever grateful for his leadership and service to our nation. 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,” Schneider, of Illinois, said in a statement.
REP. HILLARY SCHOLTEN: “For the good of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up,” Scholten, of Michigan, said on social media. “It is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket —‚ not just to win, but to govern.”
REP. EARL BLUMENAUER: “The question before the country is whether the president should continue his candidacy for re-election. This is not just about extending his presidency but protecting democracy,” Blumenauer, who represents a district in Oregon, said in a statement.
“While this is a decision for the president and the first lady, I hope they will come to the conclusion that I and others have: President Biden should not be the Democratic presidential nominee.”
REP. PAT RYAN: “Joe Biden is a patriot but is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump,” New York’s Ryan, who was first elected in a special election in 2022 before winning the seat in the general election months later, said in a social media post.
REP. MIKIE SHERRILL: “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, of New Jersey, said in a statement.
REP. ADAM SMITH: “President Biden should end his candidacy for a second term as President and release his delegates to the Democratic National Convention to enable the party to nominate a new candidate for President,” Smith, of Washington state, said in a statement. “The President’s performance in the debate was alarming to watch and the American people have made it clear they no longer see him as a credible candidate to serve four more years as President.”
REP. ANGIE CRAIG: Craig, whose district in Minnesota is considered a top priority for Republicans to win back in November, was the first incumbent from a highly competitive district to call for Biden to step down. “Given what I saw and heard from the president during last week’s debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the president himself following that debate, I do not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,” Craig said.
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY: A moderate from Illinois, Quigley said Biden must step aside and “let someone else do this” or risk “utter catastrophe.”
REP. SETH MOULTON: Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, praised Biden’s service to the country but told a local radio show that the president should follow in “George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump.”
REP. RAUL GRIJALVA: Grijalva, a liberal who represents a district in southern Arizona along the border with Mexico, told the New York Times it was time for Biden to end his campaign, saying, “If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere.” Grijalva’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
REP. LLOYD DOGGETT: Doggett, a House member from a safe Democratic district in Texas, was the first congressional Democrat to call for Biden to step down. “President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump,” Doggett said in a statement. “I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not.”
Reuters and City News Service contributed to this report.
Updated at 7:26 and 7:45 p.m. July 11, 2024