President Joe Biden, on Saturday, lost the support of yet another Democrat member of Congress, the first to do so in the aftermath of Biden’s too-little-too-late Friday ABC News interview, which failed to assuage his critics.
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) officially asked Biden to step aside early Saturday morning, saying, “As an elected leader, I feel a responsibility to be honest about what I believe, even when it’s hard to hear.”
Craig is the fifth member of Congress to demand Biden step aside since his disastrous June 27 debate.
The battleground district lawmaker hails from Minnesota, a state unexpectedly in play for former President Donald Trump, as Biden has stumbled, and Trump has gained steam. Despite Biden winning the state by more than seven percentage points in 2020, polling now shows Trump defeating Biden by as many as four points.
A June poll from the respected firm McLaughlin & Associates shows Trump leading with 41 percent support, followed by 37 percent for Biden, seven percent for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., two percent for independent candidate Cornel West, two percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and 0.6 percent for Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver. Another 11 percent remain undecided.
In her statement, Craig credited Biden — whom she says signed her bills into law — before turning on the president.
She said:
…[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.
Biden’s debate performance sparked instant backlash from media allies, donors, voters, and Democrat elected officials. However, his response to the debate may have been even more damaging to his standing with party power players.
Biden appeared unwilling to attempt basic damage control, choosing to huddle with his close advisers and family — including embattled convicted felon son Hunter Biden — instead of contacting key allies.
His closely managed public appearances after the debate inspire no confidence.
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Biden’s team hoped his interview with former Democrat operative George Stephanopoulos of ABC News would calm the waters.
Craig was unimpressed.
“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,” she continued. “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 to step forward.”
Biden overwhelmingly secured enough delegates from primaries and caucuses to lock up the nomination months ago, but Craig called for a “democratic process” to replace Biden, without offering specifics.
“I believe this is an opportunity to put forward an open, fair, and transparent Democratic process to select a new nominee to inspire and unite our great nation,” she said, acknowledging that “there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win.”
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The Democratic National Convention begins Monday, August 19. Biden and his allies have pressed to officially nominate Biden virtually before that date, although that becomes a heavier lift by the day as he sheds support.
Biden’s situation on Capitol Hill gets worse from here. Congress returns to session Monday, at which point Democrats will no longer be able to remain uncomfortably silent amidst the increasing calls for Biden to step aside.
Craig’s announcement seems a harbinger of things to come for the flailing Biden campaign.
“This future of our country is bigger than any one of us,” she closed her statement. “It’s up to the President from here.”
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.