WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� California Rep. on Wednesday became the highest-profile Democrat to call for President to drop his reelection bid, even as the party pushed ahead with plans for a in the first week of August.
The move to schedule the roll call, which would come weeks before the opens in Chicago on Aug. 19, follows nearly 20 Democratic members of Congress calling on Biden to in the wake of his against Republican former President Donald Trump last month.
Late in the evening, ABC 91欧美激情 reported new details about Biden’s private meeting over the weekend with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at his beach home in Delaware. It said Schumer told the president it would be “better for the Democratic party, and better for the country if he were to bow out.鈥�
A Schumer spokesperson called the report “idle speculation. Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday.鈥�
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden told Schumer, as well as House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, that “he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.鈥�
Among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to 鈥� sharply undercutting Biden’s post-debate claim that 鈥渁verage Democrats鈥� are still with him even if some 鈥渂ig names鈥� are turning on him.
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing 鈥渕ild symptoms鈥� including 鈥済eneral malaise鈥� from the infection, the White House said.
鈥淲hile the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden鈥檚 alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,鈥� Schiff said in a statement. 鈥淎nd in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.鈥�
Schiff is a prominent Democrat on his own, and his statement will also be watched because of his proximity to Speaker Emerita .
It was Pelosi who post-debate, when she said recently that 鈥渋t鈥檚 up to the president鈥� to decide what to do 鈥� even though Biden had fully stated he had no intention of stepping aside. The former House speaker publicly supports the president, but has fielded calls from Democrats since debate night questioning what鈥檚 next.
In response to Schiff’s comments, the Biden campaign pointed to what it called 鈥渆xtensive support鈥� for him and his reelection bid from members of Congress in key swing states, as well as from the Congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses. Biden is traveling in Nevada this week, and the campaign noted that he’s been joined on the trip by 鈥渘early a dozen鈥� Congressional Black Caucus members.
Still, Schiff’s announcement came after Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged the party to delay for a week plans to hold the virtual vote to renominate Biden, which could have taken place as soon as Sunday, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The s rulemaking arm is set to meet on Friday to discuss how the virtual vote plans will work and to finalize them next week.
鈥淲e will not be implementing a rushed virtual voting process, though we will begin our important consideration of how a virtual voting process would work,鈥� Bishop Leah D. Daughtry and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, co-chairs of the rules committee for the wrote in a letter Wednesday.
The letter also said that the virtual roll call vote won鈥檛 take place before Aug. 1, but that the party is still committed to holding a vote before Aug. 7, which had been the filing deadline to get on Ohio’s presidential ballot.
The Democratic convention runs in person from Aug. 19-22, but the party announced in May that it would hold to ensure Biden would qualify for the ballot in Ohio. That state originally had an Aug. 7 deadline but has since changed its rules.
The Biden campaign insists that the party must operate under Ohio鈥檚 initial rules to ensure Republican lawmakers can鈥檛 mount legal challenges to keep off the ballot.
Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat who wrote last week that Biden should leave the race 鈥渇or the good of the country,” applauded the decision to move back setting a date.
鈥淣o shortcuts, no end around,鈥� he said. “This process shouldn鈥檛 be rushed.鈥�
Even if Democrats conduct a virtual roll call vote ahead of , meanwhile, it wouldn鈥檛 necessarily lock Biden into the nomination. The DNC rulemaking arm could vote to hold an in-person roll call in Chicago, said Elaine Kamarck, a longtime member of the party’s rules committee and expert on the party鈥檚 nominating process. But since the Ohio law doesn鈥檛 go into effect until Sept. 1, Biden appearing on the state鈥檚 ballot remains a real concern, Kamarck said.
鈥淭his is a failsafe for the Democrats,鈥� Kamarck said, adding that 鈥渢he convention is the highest authority鈥� in the nominating process.
The AP-NORC poll, conducted as Biden works to salvage his candidacy two weeks after , also found that only about 3 in 10 Democrats are extremely or very confident that he has the mental capability to serve effectively as president, down slightly from 40% in in February.
The letter from Daughtry and Walz follows a contingent of House Democrats wary of swiftly nominating Biden as the party鈥檚 pick for reelection circulated another letter raising 鈥渟erious concerns鈥� about plans for a virtual roll call. Their letter to , which has not been sent, says it would be a 鈥渢errible idea鈥� to stifle debate about the party鈥檚 nominee with the early roll call vote.
鈥淚t could deeply undermine the morale and unity of Democrats,鈥� said the letter obtained by the AP.
A spokesperson said that Huffman was pleased with the decision to delay and would hold off sending the letter from House Democrats as they continue monitoring the situation.
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Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Leah Askarinam contributed to this report.
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