Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) on Thursday became the 11th House Democrat to publicly call on US President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race, saying in a statement that it is “time to pass the torch”, according to The Hill.
Schneider said that while he is grateful for Biden’s leadership and service, he believes the stakes of this year’s election are too high and warned of the implications of a second White House term under former President Donald Trump.
“President Biden now has the opportunity to secure his legacy and boldly deliver the nation to a new generation of leadership,” Schneider wrote in the statement. “The stakes in this election could not be higher. Donald Trump and the administration he would install are an absolute threat to the very core of our nation. He is publicly committed to undermining our constitution and the democratic republic it established.”
“In passing the torch now, President Biden has a chance to live up to this standard and seal his place in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation, and history, has ever known. He can lead the transition of power to a new generation that can build a stronger party and a stronger nation. I fear if he fails to make the right choice, our democracy will hang in the balance,” added Schneider.
“We are faced with a stark choice: Be resigned to slog through this election praying we can successfully defend our democracy, or enthusiastically embrace a vibrant vision for our future, building on the extraordinary foundation President Biden has created for our nation over the past four years,” Schneider wrote. “I choose the latter.”
With the statement, Schneider joins the other 10 House Democrats who have made a public call for Biden to withdraw from the race amid the fallout from his disastrous debate performance against Trump last month. The others are Democratic Reps. Lloyd Doggett (TX), Raúl Grijalva (AZ), Seth Moulton (MA), Mike Quigley (IL), Angie Craig (MN), Mikie Sherrill (NJ), Adam Smith (WA), Pat Ryan (NY), Earl Blumenauer (OR.) and Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI).
Sen. Peter Welch (VT) is the only Democratic senator to make the same call, having done so on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, Axios reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is privately signaling to donors that he's open to a Democratic presidential ticket that isn't led by Biden.
Schumer later issued a statement in which he said, "As I have made clear repeatedly, publicly and privately, I support President Biden and remain committed to ensuring Donald Trump is defeated in November."
Biden has so far rejected the growing chorus of calls to drop out. The President clarified last Friday that he is staying in the presidential race and has no plans to withdraw despite the debate.
Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, Biden said, “They’re trying to push me out of the race. Well let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm staying in the race. I'll beat Donald Trump again.”
On Monday, Biden again stressed his belief that he could defeat Trump in the November election, and cited his previous defeat of Trump in the 2020 race.
“I beat him last time. I will beat him this time,” Biden told MSNBC.