Democrats from across the country are weighing in on whether President Biden should continue to run as their party’s nominee for president.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images/AFP


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SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Democrats have long-acknowledged concerns about President Biden’s age and ability to lead the country for a second term, but Biden’s disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27 has left the president’s campaign in a crisis.

Biden and his campaign have recognized that the coming days are crucial to convincing voters and his party that he has what it takes to win the election. They also insist that he is staying in the race. But the public display of Biden’s weakness prompted calls from Democratic members of Congress for Biden to step down as the party’s presidential nominee — while others continue to stand by the president, and a growing number of Democrats express concerns about Biden.

NPR is tracking which Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to step out of the race, expressed concerns, or have said they back Biden’s presidential bid.

This list will be updated as more Democrats weigh in.

Called on Biden to Step Down

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.)

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.)

Backing Biden

Gov. Kathy Hochul (New York)

Gov. Tim Walz (Minnesota)

Gov. Wes Moore (Maryland)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)

Gov. Gavin Newsom (California)

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.)

Expressed Concern

Gov. Josh Green (D-Hawaii) – Green, a close ally of Biden, said he felt alarmed after watching the debate. But Green has said he is continuing to back Biden, and that Biden reassured him in the meeting Green was a part of with 24 other Democratic governors on July 3. “If the president doesn’t think he can beat Donald Trump, he will hand it off to Kamala [Harris],” Green said during an interview with NPR.

“The president has to make this decision with his life-long colleagues from the Senate and his wife. Jill Biden is a superstar. They’ll make the right decision,” Green added. He said if Biden chooses to step down, Vice President Harris should become the Democratic nominee.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) – Gluesenkamp Perez, who is fighting to defend her seat in a traditionally Republican-leaning district, distanced herself from Biden following the debate, though she didn’t outright call on Biden to step down as the party’s nominee. Speaking to KATU News, she said, “About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched that debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo that, and the truth I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump. I know that’s difficult, but I think the damage has been done by that debate.”

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) – The South Carolina Congressman and close Biden ally initially encouraged his colleagues to stick it out with Biden in the immediate aftermath of the debate, saying in a CNN interview, “I do not believe that Joe Biden has a problem leading for the next four years, because he’s done a great job of leading for the last three-and-a-half years.” But his message has since changed: Clyburn has discussed the possibility of a “mini-primary” in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) – Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), a moderate Democrat, has not said outright if he supports Biden’s bid, but published an op-ed in the local Bangor Daily News days after the presidential debate, titled, “Donald Trump is going to win the election and democracy will be just fine.”

Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) – Asked in an interview with the local CBS station in San Diego whether he is “absolutely supporting” Biden, Peters said, “I don’t think we can at this point.” He called the Biden campaign “arrogant” in its response to the debate and called for them to present a plan for winning the race: “We want to know what their plan is to win this election, and turn these numbers around. And if they don’t have a plan, then I think we have to move in a different direction.”

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) – When asked if Biden is the party’s best shot at beating Trump in the general election, Huffman told CNN, “I don’t know.” “We’ve got to acknowledge that this was not just one bad night,” Huffman added. “This is a pretty pervasive and widespread perception that’s been dragging President Biden down in the polls for many months.”

Gov. Maura Healey (D-Mass.) – Healey released a statement thanking Biden for his leadership and praising his work so far. But she left the door open for Biden to step aside as nominee.

“The best way forward right now is a decision for the President to make,” Healey said in a statement shared with NPR. “Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.

“Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump.”

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