WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A rapidly growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers called Friday for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, even as the president insisted he鈥檚 ready to return to the campaign trail next week to counter what he called a 鈥渄ark vision鈥� laid out by Republican Donald Trump.
As more Democratic members of Congress urged him to drop out 鈥� bringing the total since his disastrous debate against Trump to nearly three dozen 鈥� Biden remained isolated at his beach house in Delaware after 小蓝视频 diagnosed with COVID-19. The president, who has insisted he can beat Trump, was huddling with family and relying on a few longtime aides as efforts to shove him aside.
Late Friday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is in a tough race for reelection, called for Biden to step aside.
Brown said in a statement that he agrees with 鈥渢he many Ohioans鈥� who have reached out to him. 鈥淚 think the president should end his campaign,鈥� he said.
And in a statement later Friday, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., also called on Biden to drop out while saying, 鈥渢here is no joy in the recognition he should not be our nominee in November. But the stakes of this election are too high.鈥�
Biden said Trump's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention showcased a 鈥渄ark vision for the future." The president, seeking to move the political conversation away from his fate and onto his rival's agenda, said Friday he was planning to return to the campaign trail next week and insisted he has a path to victory over Trump, despite the worries of some of his party's most eminent members.
鈥淭ogether, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淭he stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win.鈥�
Earlier in the day, his campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillion, acknowledged 鈥渟lippage鈥� in support for the president but insisted he's 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� remaining in the race and the campaign sees 鈥渕ultiple paths" to beating Trump.
鈥淲e have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that, yes, he鈥檚 old, but he can win," she told MSNBC's 鈥淢orning Joe鈥� show. She said voters concerned about Biden's fitness to lead aren't switching to vote for Trump.
Meanwhile, the rulemaking arm held a meeting Friday, pressing ahead with plans for a virtual roll call before Aug. 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party鈥檚 convention later in the month in Chicago.
鈥淧resident Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members of the caucus and colleagues in the House and Senate and Democratic leadership and not be battling leaks and press statements,鈥� Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Biden鈥檚 closest friend in Congress and his campaign co-chair, told The Associated Press.
It's and his party: has wrapped up an enthusiastic in Milwaukee on Thursday. And Democrats, racing time, are considering the extraordinary possibility of Biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their own convention.
Among the democrats expressing worries to allies about Biden's chances were former President Barack Obama and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who has privately told Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn鈥檛 step aside.
New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich called on Biden to exit the race, making him the third Senate Democrat to do so.
鈥淏y passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation鈥檚 greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,鈥� said Heinrich, who's up for reelection.
And Reps. Jared Huffman, Mark Veasey, Chuy Garcia and Mark Pocan, representing a wide swath of the caucus, together called on Biden to step aside.
鈥淲e must defeat Donald Trump to save our democracy," they wrote.
Separately, Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois wrote in an op-ed that with 鈥渁 heavy heart and much personal reflection鈥� he, too, was calling on Biden to 鈥減ass the torch to a new generation.鈥�
Campaign officials said Biden was even more committed to staying in the race. And senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about dropping out.
On Friday, Biden picked up a key endorsement from the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. CHC BOLD PAC said the Biden administration has shown 鈥渦nwavering commitment鈥� to Latinos and 鈥渢he stakes couldn鈥檛 be higher鈥� in this election.
But there is also time to reconsider. Biden has been told the campaign is having trouble raising money, and key Democrats see an opportunity as he is away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit. Among his Cabinet, some are resigned to the likelihood of him losing in November.
The reporting in this story is based in part on information from almost a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private deliberations. The Washington Post first reported on Obama鈥檚 involvement.
Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling in Las Vegas earlier this week and experienced 鈥渕ild symptoms鈥� including 鈥済eneral malaise鈥� from the infection, the White House said.
White House doctor Kevin O鈥機onnor said Friday that the president still had a dry cough and hoarseness, but that his COVID symptoms had improved.
Biden noted his illness while making a joke about Trump on social media Friday night, posting: 鈥淚鈥檓 stuck at home with COVID, so I had the distinct misfortune of watching Donald Trump鈥檚 speech to the RNC. What the hell was he talking about?鈥�
In Congress, Democratic lawmakers have begun having private conversations about lining up behind Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker said Biden鈥檚 own advisers are unable to reach a unanimous recommendation about what he should do. More in Congress are considering joining the others who have called for Biden to drop out. Some prefer an open process for choosing a new presidential nominee.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear the issue won鈥檛 go away,鈥� said Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, the other Senate Democrat who has publicly said Biden should exit the race. Welch said the current state of party angst 鈥� with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting 鈥� was 鈥渘ot sustainable.鈥�
However, influential Democrats including Senate Majority Leader and House Democratic Leader are sending signals of concern.
鈥淭here is of course work to be done, and that in fact is the case because we are an evenly divided country,鈥� Jeffries said in an interview on WNYC radio Friday.
But he also said, 鈥淭he ticket that exists right now is the ticket that we can win on. ... It's his decision to make.鈥�
To be sure, many want Biden to stay in the race. But among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to . That sharply undercuts Biden's post-debate claim that 鈥渁verage Democrats鈥� are still with him.
Amid the turmoil, a majority of Democrats think Vice President would make a good president herself.
A found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don鈥檛 believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don鈥檛 know enough to say.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Ellen Knickmeyer in Aspen, Colorado, Steve Peoples in Milwaukee, and Josh Boak, Will Weissert, Mary Clare Jalonick, Seung Min Kim and Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.
Zeke Miller, Lisa Mascaro, Michael Balsamo And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
