First sitting Democrat calls for Biden to sit out 2024 race after debate disaster
- Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, called on Biden to withdraw Tuesday
- He explained that he hopes Biden will make the “painful decision to withdraw”
A sitting Democrat has publicly called on Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, piling pressure on the president after Thursday’s debate debacle.
Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas stepped forward Tuesday and compared the difficult decision he said Biden must make for the good of the nation to one made decades ago by another sitting Democratic president.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district that was once held by Lyndon Johnson,” the Texas native said in a statement. “Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw.
“President Biden should do the same,” he continued. “While much of his work has been transformative, he has promised to navigate a period of transition.
Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett is the first sitting Democrat in office to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race
“He has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from which a candidate can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process,” Doggett said in his statement.
“My decision to make these strong concerns public was not taken lightly and in no way diminishes my respect for all that President Biden has accomplished.”
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I hope he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully urge him to do so.”
While other former Democrats and liberal pundits speculate about Biden’s ability to retain the presidency into 2028 should he win, no other sitting Democratic candidate has gone as far in their pronouncements as Doggett.
Calls for President Joe Biden to resign as the party’s presumptive nominee have grown louder in the days following his disastrous debate with Donald Trump
President Joe Biden reportedly feels ‘humiliated’ and ‘painfully aware’ of his image after his debate over the car crash that left him stumbling over his words and losing his train of thought
The president retreated to Camp David with his wife, children and grandchildren to take a break from the campaign process and consider his options after the debate.
Doggett, 77, is a respected member of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives, having served on the caucus since 1995.
He also praised Biden’s work as president, but ultimately conceded that Joe’s debate performance was not that of a competitive candidate.
“President Biden continues to trail Democratic senators significantly in key states and is trailing Donald Trump in most polls,” he said.
“I had hoped that the debate would provide momentum to change that. It didn’t.”
“Rather than reassuring voters, the president failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.”
Jack Pandol, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, criticized Doggett’s announcement for coming too late.
“The cowards in the Democratic caucus spent every day after the debate in witness protection, too afraid to say what was on their minds,” Pandol said in a statement.
“Americans remember that House Democrats were complicit in covering up and manipulating the president’s condition, and voters are ready to punish them in November.”