Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett broke with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, calling on him to withdraw as Democratic nominee following the president’s debate performance.
“President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump. I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not. Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies,” Doggett wrote in a statement.
Doggett is the first sitting Democratic member of Congress — House or Senate — to publicly call on Biden to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for president.
“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” Doggett said. “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. I respectfully call on him to do so.”
Lloyd Doggett makes his way to House votes at the Capitol, June 5, 2024.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
Doggett, who was first elected to the House in 1995, joins a growing cohort of Democrats who are criticizing Biden’s debate performance and calling for the president to reconsider staying in the presidential race.
Former Ohio congressman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tim Ryan wrote in an opinion piece published Monday night in Newsweek that Biden should step aside and that Vice President Kamala Harris should become the Democratic nominee for president.
“He also promised to be a bridge President to the next generation… Regrettably, that bridge collapsed last week,” Ryan wrote of Biden’s debate performance. “Witnessing Joe Biden struggle was heartbreaking. And we must forge a new path forward.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett has recently made headlines by urging Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Doggett, who represents Texas’s 35th congressional district, is one of the first prominent Democrats to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the race.
In a statement released on social media, Doggett cited concerns about Biden’s ability to defeat President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. He expressed doubts about Biden’s ability to energize the Democratic base and attract independent voters, pointing to recent polls that show Trump gaining ground in key swing states.
Doggett also raised questions about Biden’s past record on issues such as criminal justice reform and healthcare, suggesting that his positions may not align with the progressive values of the Democratic Party. He called on Biden to consider the greater good of the party and the country by stepping aside in favor of a candidate who can better unite and inspire voters.
This bold move by Doggett has sparked a debate within the Democratic Party about the best path forward in the 2020 election. Some Democrats have voiced support for Doggett’s call for Biden to step down, while others have criticized him for potentially damaging the party’s chances of defeating Trump.
Biden’s campaign has not yet responded to Doggett’s statement, but it is likely to be a topic of discussion in the coming days. With the Democratic National Convention just weeks away, the party faces a crucial decision about its nominee and its strategy for winning back the White House.
As the 2020 election continues to heat up, it remains to be seen how Doggett’s call for Biden to step down will impact the race. Whether or not Biden heeds this advice, one thing is clear: the stakes are high for Democrats as they seek to unseat President Trump and reclaim the presidency.
