4th U.S. senator calls for Biden to exit race, as Democrat leader remains under pressure | CBC News

A rapidly growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers called Friday for U.S. President Joe Biden to drop his re-election bid, even as Biden insisted he’s ready to return to the campaign trail next week to counter what he called a “dark vision” laid out by Republican Donald Trump.

As more Democratic members of Congress called for him to drop out Friday — bringing the total since his disastrous debate against Trump to nearly three dozen — Biden remained isolated at his beach house in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19. 

The 81-year-old president, who has insisted he can beat Trump, was huddling with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he resisted efforts to shove him aside.

Late Friday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is in a tough race for re-election, called for Biden to step aside.

Brown said in a statement that he agrees with “the many Ohioans” who have reached out to him. “I think the president should end his campaign,” he said.

And in a statement later Friday, Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky also called on Biden to drop out, saying, “there is no joy in the recognition he should not be our nominee in November. But the stakes of this election are too high.”

Biden opposes Trump’s ‘dark vision’

Biden said Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention showcased a “dark vision for the future.”

The Democrat incumbent president, seeking to move the political conversation away from his fate and onto his rival’s agenda, said Friday he was planning to return to the campaign trail next week and insisted he has a path to victory over Trump, despite the worries of some of his party’s most eminent members.

“Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” Biden said. “The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win.”

Earlier in the day, his campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, acknowledged “slippage” in support for the president but insisted he’s “absolutely” remaining in the race and the campaign sees “multiple paths” to beating Trump.

“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that, yes, he’s old, but he can win,” she told MSNBC’s Morning Joe show. She said voters concerned about Biden’s fitness to lead aren’t switching to vote for Trump.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm held a meeting Friday, pressing ahead with plans for a virtual roll call before Aug. 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party’s convention later in the month in Chicago.

“President Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members of the caucus and colleagues in the House and Senate and Democratic leadership and not be battling leaks and press statements,” Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Biden’s closest friend in Congress and his campaign co-chair, told The Associated Press.

It’s a pivotal few days for the president and his party. Trump capped an enthusiastic Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday. And Democrats, racing against time, are considering the extraordinary possibility of Biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their own convention.

WATCH | Complex possibilities if Biden stepped aside: 

3 ways the Democrats could replace Joe Biden | About That

As a growing number of Democrats call for Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 U.S. presidential race ahead of the Democratic National Convention, About That producer Lauren Bird breaks down the options to replace him on the ballot and what makes some of them especially challenging.

Growing number of Democrats putting pressure on Biden

Among the Democrats expressing worries about Biden’s chances were former president Barack Obama and speaker emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who has privately told Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t step aside.

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich called on Biden to exit the race, making him the third Senate Democrat to do so.

“By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,” said Heinrich, who’s up for re-election.

WATCH | High-profile Democrat Adam Schiff urged Biden to ‘pass the torch’: 

Adam Schiff calls for new Democratic candidate as Joe Biden gets COVID

Prominent California Rep. Adam Schiff is the latest senior Democrat calling on Joe Biden to exit the U.S. presidential race. Schiff urged Biden, who is now sick with COVID-19, to ‘pass the torch,’ citing ‘‘serious concerns’ about his chances of beating Donald Trump in the November election.

And Reps. Jared Huffman, Mark Veasey, Chuy Garcia and Mark Pocan, representing a wide swath of the caucus, together called on Biden to step aside.

“We must defeat Donald Trump to save our democracy,” they wrote.

Separately, Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois wrote in an op-ed that with “a heavy heart and much personal reflection” he, too, was calling on Biden to “pass the torch to a new generation.”

WATCH | Trump accuses Democrats of harmful rhetoric, maligns migrants: 

Trump describes assassination attempt, slams Democrats in RNC speech

Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination in a long, rambling and highly personal speech Thursday that recounted the recent attempt on his life before moving into rhetorical attacks on Joe Biden, China, current U.S. trade policy, America’s role in the war in Ukraine and a string of other issues he pledged to fix if elected.

Campaign officials said Biden was even more committed to staying in the race. And senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about dropping out.

In another sign the Biden campaign appears to be forging ahead, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told The Associated Press on Friday that he will join the president and First Lady Jill Biden at a fundraiser headlined by David Letterman on July 29, in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

The campaign has at least 10 other fundraising events over the last 10 days of July.

Biden also picked up a key endorsement Friday from the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. CHC BOLD PAC said the Biden administration has shown “unwavering commitment” to Latinos and “the stakes couldn’t be higher” in this election.

But there is also time to reconsider. Biden has been told the campaign is having trouble raising money, and key Democrats see an opportunity as he is away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit. Among his cabinet, some are resigned to the likelihood of him losing in November.

The reporting in this story is based in part on information from almost a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private deliberations with the Associated Press. The Washington Post first reported on Obama’s involvement.

Republicans say they’re ready if change occurs

Influential congressional figures including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are sending signals of strong concern.

Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress have begun having private conversations about lining up behind Vice-President Kamala Harris as an alternative.

Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita said in interviews with U.S. media outlets that Harris attack ads are ready if necessary.

But Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, acknowledging that Trump is 78, told CNN that the Democrats would clearly be energized if they selected a younger candidate. Harris turns 60 in October.

WATCH | Who is behind Project 2025 and why is it so controversial: 

What is Project 2025? A quick explanation

A conservative think tank document called Project 2025 is fueling fierce attacks in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election. CBC’s Lauren Bird cuts through the noise and breaks down the policy, who’s behind it, and why it’s so controversial.