A new set of Democratic lawmakers on Friday joined calls for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, including some notable climate hawks.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; California Rep. Jared Huffman, a top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee; and Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) all said the time had come for Biden to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
All three joined dozens of lawmakers who have called on Biden to exit. Top Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, along with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California have privately urged the president to step aside. Biden has said he intends to remain in the race, though he has reportedly been mulling his future.
Green groups and some climate-minded Democrats had earlier expressed doubt about Biden’s ability to win reelection.
In a statement Friday, Heinrich praised Biden’s accomplishments but argued, “This moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person.”
“By passing the torch, [Biden] would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,” Henrich continued.
Heinrich is running for reelection to his Senate seat. Although he is expected to beat Republican Nella Domenici, some polls predict a close race. Heinrich is in line to lead Democrats on ENR with the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.).
Huffman, who has said he is interested in taking over as top Democrat on his chamber’s Natural Resources panel, also called on Biden to step aside.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Natural Resources’ current chair and a leading House progressive, was one of the first congressional Democrats to ask Biden to stop running.
“We must defeat Donald Trump to save our democracy, protect our alliances and the rules-based international order, and continue building on the strong foundation you have established over the past four years,” read a statement Huffman released along with Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.).
The lawmakers continued: “At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign. These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change.”
They added, “Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign. It would reinvigorate the race and infuse Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum heading into our convention next month.”
Earlier Friday, Casten, a former energy businessman, wrote in a Chicago Tribune opinion piece that the time had come for Biden to hand the reins over.
Like Heinrich, Casten applauded Biden’s service but emphasized the need to defeat Trump, the former president, who accepted the Republican Party’s nomination Thursday night.
“It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” Casten said, mentioning “senior moments” in the campaign, a reference to Biden’s widely panned June debate performance, among other recent gaffes.
He wrote that Biden could exit with “all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service.” He added that Biden could “cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward.”
None of the Democrats who spoke out Friday picked an ideal successor for Biden, though the four House members’ joint statement mentioned “a deep and talented bench of younger [Democratic] leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris.”
With the Friday announcements, 25 House Democrats and six Senate Democrats have called on Biden to step aside.
