The number of House Democrats calling on President Biden to end his reelection campaign grew to four on Friday, even as Biden stepped up efforts to assure Democrats he is eligible to run and vowed to keep the campaign going.
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, in an interview with MSNBC on Friday, just before Biden spoke with ABC News, called Biden’s run for president “a very bleak scenario, and it’s fair to say it has very little chance of success.”
His comments came a day after Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts said in an interview with Boston radio station WBUR that Biden should step aside to make way for a new generation of leaders; a spokesman for Moulton confirmed the comments on Friday. Earlier this week, Rep. Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona and Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas called on Biden to drop out of the race.
“To get to that point with him was a struggle to comprehend, as anybody who respects him would,” Quigley said.
He continued, “Mr. President, your legacy is set. We owe you the utmost. The only thing you can do now to cement it forever and prevent total ruin is to step down and let someone else take over.”
Moulton was equally effusive in his praise of the president.
“President Biden has done so much for our country, but it’s time for him to follow in the footsteps of one of our founding fathers, George Washington, and step aside so new leadership can rise up to challenge Donald Trump,” Moulton said.
Moulton said he doesn’t yet know who the top candidate to replace Biden should be or how to select that person. Quigley said he is confident Democrats will “unite behind one candidate this time,” adding that he has the “utmost respect” for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Quigley added that Biden’s decision “doesn’t just impact the White House. It impacts the entire Congress and our future.”
