On Saturday, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota called for President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid, even after his interview with ABC meant to reassure voters.
Biden has faced calls to step down from the race since CNN’s debate on June 27, during which he froze and made multiple verbal gaffes, and he sat down with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos in a pre-recorded interview that aired on Friday. Craig is the fifth House Democrat to urge Biden to drop out.
“[G]iven 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 in a statement, which was posted on X.
“This is not a decision I’ve come to lightly, but there is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency. That’s why I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as president and allow for a new generation of leaders step forward.”
As an elected leader, I feel a responsibility to be honest about what I believe, even when it’s hard to hear.
President Biden is a good man & I appreciate his lifetime of service.
But I believe he should step aside for the next generation of leadership.
The stakes are too… pic.twitter.com/rtZLz6riDp
— Angie Craig (@AngieCraigMN) July 6, 2024
Biden claimed during the ABC interview that he made up ground in polling following the debate, saying that The New York Times had him polling “behind ten points” prior to the debate. The New York Times/Siena College poll had Biden down by about six points among registered voters and three points among likely voters before the CNN debate, with both increasing by three points after.
Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas was the first congressional Democrat to issue a public statement urging Biden’s withdrawal. Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois also called on Biden to step aside, according to Axios.
Biden currently trails Trump by 3.3 percent in a national head-to-head matchup, according to the RealClearPolling average of polls. Trump’s lead grows to 4.9 percent when independent candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are included.
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