Illinois Reps. Casten and Garcia urge President Biden to drop out of race for White House
CHICAGO (CBS) — Two more House Democrats from Illinois have joined the growing number of congressional Democrats urging President Joe Biden to drop his bid for re-election.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten and U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia on Friday both urged Biden to drop out of the race for the White House.
In an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, Casten wrote that his constituents "fear for the future of American democracy" if former President Donald Trump is elected in November, and that he believes "Biden is no longer up for that job."
"It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation. To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward," Casten wrote.
In a joint statement with U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman (D-California), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), and Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin), Garcia told Biden, "we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign."
"These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month's debate and are now unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House," they wrote. "Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment. Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign. It would reinvigorate the race and infuse Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum heading into our convention next month."
Casten and Garcia are now among the more than two dozen House Democrats to publicly call for Biden to step down as the presumptive Democratic nominee following his poor debate performance last month.
Three other congressmen from Illinois – Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider, and Eric Sorensen – have urged the president to drop out of the race for the White House.
"If the upcoming election is a referendum on past performance, future promises and character, I have every confidence Biden would win," Casten wrote. "But politics, like life, isn't fair. And as long as this election is instead litigated over which candidate is more likely to be held accountable for public gaffes and "senior moments," I believe that Biden is not only going to lose but is also uniquely incapable of shifting that conversation."
Three Senate Democrats – Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Jon Tester (D-Montana), and Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) – also have called on Biden to exit the presidential race.
Meantime, two senior House Democrats tell CBS News they believe that Biden could leave the 2024 presidential race in three to five days, amid growing pressure from top Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
While the two senior House members said they did not have insight into the timing of such a move, they said the tide has turned, and each day of indecision from Mr. Biden would be met by more Democratic requests to step aside.