Rep. Seth Moulton Becomes Third House Democrat To Urge Biden To Withdraw From Presidential Race

On Thursday, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts) publicly urged President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race following his weak debate performance last week, becoming the third House Democrat to make such a call.

“President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father, George Washington’s, footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against [former President Trump],” Moulton told WBUR, a Boston radio station.

On Friday, Moulton’s spokesperson, Syndey Simon, confirmed his call for the president to leave the race.

Simon added that Moulton has not yet decided on a replacement candidate or the process, questioning whether Vice President Kamala Harris should step up as the nominee or if a competitive selection process should be pursued.

Moulton joins his House colleagues, Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who was the first to urge Biden to withdraw on Tuesday, and Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona), who called for Biden’s departure on Wednesday.

“President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump,” said Doggett in a Tuesday statement. “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 added.

Other Democrats have raised serious concerns about Biden’s viability, however refraining from directly disavowing Biden. They echo Moulton’s statement just a day ago, expressing that he had “grave concerns” about Biden’s electoral prospects in November, emphasizing the need for a vigorous and successful campaign from the president.

On Wednesday, Moulton, a former contender for the 2020 presidential nomination against Biden, suggested that the Democratic Party explore “all viable options” amid growing questions about Biden’s ability to lead the ticket.

“When your current strategy isn’t working, it’s rarely the right decision to double down. President Biden is not going to get younger,” said Moulton.

In a fundraising email sent on Wednesday, Biden’s campaign unequivocally stated that he is not withdrawing from the presidential race and that party leaders have publicly supported him, emphasizing that nobody “is pushing” him “out” of the race.

“I’m the Democratic Party’s nominee. No one is pushing me out. I’m not leaving, I’m in this race until the end, and WE are going to win this election. If that’s all you need to hear, pitch in a few bucks to help [Vice President Harris] and me defeat Donald Trump in November,” the email stated.

Despite Biden’s determination to stay in the race, his support among Democratic allies continues to erode. 

Centrist Reps. Jared Golden (D-Marine) and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-Washington) have both expressed their belief that Trump will beat Biden in November. Additionally, several Democrats have privately acknowledged ongoing discussions about Biden’s position at the top of the ticket since the debate.