Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) on Wednesday called on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, becoming the second sitting Democratic lawmaker to publicly urge the President to step aside after his lackluster performance in last week’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
Grijalva, who has served in Congress since 2003, told The New York Times in an interview that he will support Biden should he remain at the top of the ticket, but said he thinks it is time for the Democratic Party to select a new nominee.
“If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” he said, adding, “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’s call comes one day after Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first current Democratic lawmaker to call on Biden to withdraw from the race.
“I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw,” Doggett said in a statement quoted by CNN. “President Biden should do the same.”
In calling on Biden to step aside, Doggett said the president could help usher in a new generation of leadership to help the party achieve its ultimate goal: defeating Trump.
“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,” Doggett said in his statement. “I respectfully call on him to do so.”
Biden struggled throughout last Thursday’s debate, and his voice was raspy, with campaign officials saying he was suffering from a cold.
Vice President Kamala Harris later acknowledged in an interview with CNN that Biden had a “slow start” to the debate but insisted that it was a “strong finish.”
The President on Friday resisted calls for him to withdraw from the race. Biden acknowledged at a North Carolina event that he is no longer young but insisted he is capable of getting the job done.
On Tuesday, Biden blamed foreign travel for his poor debate performance last week, saying that he almost fell asleep on the stage last week.
“I wasn’t very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate,” he said while talking to donors at a fundraiser in Virginia, as quoted by The Hill. “I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep on stage.”
Later, The New York Times reported that Biden had told an ally that he is considering withdrawing from the presidential race following the disastrous debate.