Democrats Begin to Abandon Biden’s Reelection Campaign 

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign appears to be on shaky ground after many congressional Democrats signaled a willingness to challenge the president’s political viability.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), who won reelection in 2022 by more than 50 points in a safe blue district, was the first Democrat lawmaker to demand Biden quit.

“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” he said in a statement on Tuesday:

I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not. Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.

Hours before Doggett’s demand, Rep. James Clyburn, one of Biden’s top 2024 supporters, said he “will support” Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden “were to step aside.”

Seventy-two percent of voters also believe Biden should not be running for a second term, up nine points from February, a CBS News/YouGov poll found Tuesday.

Manchin planned to call Biden to quit over the weekend, but Democrat officials talked him out of it, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) questioned Biden’s health on Tuesday, appearing to be the first time she to do so in public. “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition? When people ask that question, it’s completely legitimate — of both candidates,” she told MSNBC.

Pelosi: ‘Legitimate’ to Ask If Biden Debate Was An Episode or a Condition

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) aired frustration that the Biden campaign is dismissing concerns about Biden’s age. When the CBS News/YouGov poll surveyed why Biden should not run for reelection, 86 percent cited Biden’s age.

“[T]o be dismissive of others who raise those concerns, I think it’s inappropriate,” he told Semafor.

“We have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) told CNN about Biden’s debate performance. “I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much this impacts not just his race but all the other races coming in November.”

Democrat governors organized a call on Tuesday to speak about Biden’s debate performance in likely fear that it could impact gubernatorial races, CNN’s Jake Tapper reported.

“On the call, the governors expressed surprise that none of them had heard from Biden himself. There was a strong sentiment on the call that they needed to hear from the president directly,” Tapper posted on X. “The governors, one of the sources said, were worried about going public with their concerns out of fear that it would lead to Biden digging in further.”

It is not easy to replace Biden with another Democrat candidate.