- Joe Biden says he will resume campaigning soon.
- Now one in ten Democrats is publicly calling for Biden to step down.
- “We have a lot of work to do,” says Biden's campaign manager.
WASHINGTON: In a major development, President Joe Biden vowed Friday to continue his re-election campaign even as more of his fellow Democrats in Congress urged him to end his faltering campaign, fearing it could cost the party dearly in the Nov. 5 election.
More than one in 10 congressional Democrats have publicly called on the 81-year-old incumbent, who is isolated at his Delaware home with a case of COVID-19, to drop out of the race following a disastrous June debate against Republican Donald Trump that raised questions about Biden's ability to win or serve for another four years.
Biden remained defiant and said he would resume campaigning soon.
“I look forward to returning to the campaign trail next week to continue to expose the threat of Donald Trump's Project 2025 agenda while defending my own record and vision for America,” he said in a statement, referring to a policy plan developed by Trump's conservative allies.
The split among Democrats stands in stark contrast to the scenes that unfolded this week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where former party rivals rallied around Trump, who accepted the Republican nomination in a rambling speech that included his usual mix of grievances and bombast.
So far, 32 of the 264 Democrats in Congress have openly called on Biden to end his campaign, while other senior Democratic leaders have pressured him behind the scenes to do so, according to sources and media reports.
Democrats are increasingly concerned that a landslide Republican victory in the Nov. 5 election could leave Trump and his allies not only in charge of the White House but also with majorities in both chambers of Congress.
“Your candidacy is on track to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races in subsequent elections. It is for these reasons that I urge you to step aside,” wrote Rep. Zoe Lofgren, one of at least nine Democratic lawmakers who called on Biden to step down on Friday.
Lofgren is a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the most influential Democrats. Pelosi has not publicly called on Biden to step down but has privately told him he cannot win, according to a White House source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
After weeks of insisting he will stay in the race, sources say Biden is now taking calls for him to step aside seriously, and several Democratic officials believe an exit is a matter of time.
A Democratic group called Pass the Torch said it would run television ads on MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” one of Biden's favorite shows, urging him to drop out.
'A lot of work to do'
Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon acknowledged that Biden faces a difficult road to reelection but said his support has not dropped significantly in recent weeks.
“We have a lot of work to do to make sure that we're reassuring the American people that, yes, he's old, but he can do the job and he can win,” he said. MSNBC.
Although one Reuters/Ipsos A poll earlier this week found Biden and Trump effectively tied nationally, and strategists in both parties say Biden’s path to victory is narrowing as he trails in most of the battleground states that will decide the election.
If Biden steps aside as a candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, could take over the role. Reuters/Ipsos Polls show that his performance against Trump would be slightly better in a theoretical head-to-head matchup.
Harris will address a group of donors on short notice Friday afternoon at the request of top Biden advisers, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Democrats could face some limits on what they can do with the $91 million the Biden campaign had on hand late last month if the candidate were to drop out of the race, according to campaign finance experts.
Trump tightens his grip on Republicans
On Thursday night, Trump gave a dramatic account of the attempted assassination of him by a gunman at a rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday and sought to appeal to undecided voters, saying he would be a president for “all of America, not half of America.”
But he spent much of the rest of his rambling 92-minute acceptance speech repeating tired attacks on the Biden administration and attacking migrants, a theme that has always animated his presidential campaigns.
He claimed without evidence that his criminal allegations were part of a Democratic conspiracy, predicted Biden would usher in “World War III” and described what he called an “invasion” of migrants at the southern border.
Trump and his 39-year-old running mate, US Senator JD Vance, are scheduled to campaign on Saturday in Michigan, one of three Rust Belt states considered vital to Biden's campaign.
