A second House Democrat has called on Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) told The New York Times he thinks it’s time for the Democratic Party to select a new nominee.
“What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race,” Grijalva told the outlet, according to The Arizona Republic.
Tucson Congressman Raúl Grijalva is now the second elected Democrat in Congress pushing for President Joe Biden to withdraw from his presidential race, according to a new report. https://t.co/0TqlFxE81U
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) July 3, 2024
Democrat @RepRaulGrijalva (D-AZ) becomes the second Representative to call on @JoeBiden to abandon his quest for a second term.
It was just last year that Raúl Grijalva was praising Biden as a President who could do no wrong. The DNC eats its own. https://t.co/QIRoIzfZeK
— iVoteArizona (@iVoteArizona) July 4, 2024
The Arizona Republic reports:
Grijalva is a staunch progressive who has regularly broken with Biden on matters of policy. He criticized the president’s recent executive order that tightened the asylum system at the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it “antithetical to our values.” Last year, he signed on to a letter addressed to Biden that called for a clearer strategy to de-escalate hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Still, Grijalva has voiced support for much of Biden’s record and has been unsparing in his criticism of former President Donald Trump, Biden’s 2024 rival. He had defended Biden’s candidacy until as recently as last week.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This election is a clear choice: protect our freedoms and democracy with @JoeBiden, or succumb to a convicted felon’s unhinged vengeance and reckless desire to destroy everything to save himself. To stop Trump, we must win AZ. I’m ALL IN and will do all I can to make sure we win,” Grijalva said after the debate.
This election is a clear choice: protect our freedoms and democracy with @JoeBiden, or succumb to a convicted felon’s unhinged vengeance and reckless desire to destroy everything to save himself. To stop Trump, we must win AZ. I’m ALL IN and will do all I can to make sure we win.
— Rep. Raúl Grijalva (@standwithraul) June 28, 2024
“If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” Grijalva said, according to The Hill.
From The Hill:
Grijalva’s remarks came one day after Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a nearly 30-year veteran of the House, became the first current Democratic lawmaker to call on Biden to withdraw from the race, writing in a statement that the incumbent “failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies” during last week’s debate.
Grivalja and Doggett are the only two elected Democrats to publicly call on Biden to step aside thus far, though centrist Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) have both said they believe Trump will beat Biden in November.
Sources, however, told The Hill that conversations about Biden’s standing at the top of the ticket have been underway behind the scenes since the debate.
One House Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive conversations, told The Hill on Friday that “it’s time for him to step aside,” noting that it is the sentiment among a number of members of the House Democratic caucus.
“We all were hanging out this morning, a bunch of us together at something. There’s nobody at this point that I spoke with who doesn’t think it’s time for him to step aside,” the lawmaker added.
Other reports suggested over two dozen congressional Democrats are prepared to call on Joe Biden to withdraw from the race.
Over Two Dozen Congressional Democrats Allegedly Prepared To Call On Joe Biden To Drop Out
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!