First House Democrat Calls For Joe Biden To Withdraw From 2024 Race

Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas has become the first Democrat lawmaker in Congress to urge Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

Doggett, who has been in the House since 1995, stated, “Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.”

“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson,” added Doggett.

Doggett concluded by saying, “Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same.”

Take a look:

Woah

Austin Dem Rep. Lloyd Doggett calls on Biden to withdraw pic.twitter.com/IZod4LDeD1

— Matthew Choi (@matthewichoi) July 2, 2024

Here’s what The Hill reported:

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) on Tuesday became the first House Democrat to publicly urge President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race following his poor performance at last week’s debate.

Doggett — who has served in the House since 1995 — said he had hoped the debate against former President Trump would “provide some momentum” to turbocharge Biden’s poll numbers.

That, however, did not come to fruition, he said.
“Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies,” Doggett said in a statement.

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

BREAKING: Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett becomes the first Democratic lawmaker to call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. https://t.co/7qLZxsufWl

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 2, 2024

Per AP:

A House Democratic lawmaker has become the first in the party to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee for president, citing Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement Tuesday that Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.”

“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” Doggett said. “Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.”

Doggett, who represents an Austin-based district and is serving his 15th term in Congress, is the first sitting lawmaker in his party to publicly state what many have been privately whispering behind closed doors since last week’s debate. Biden’s weak performance caused an immediate panic among even his most ardent supporters, leading many to question whether the 81-year-old career politician is the strongest Democratic candidate to take on Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, in November.