These Are The Biggest Names Calling On Biden To Drop Out

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats running for re-election this year, became the second senator to call on Biden to step down Thursday in a statement to the Daily Montanan, joining Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who said in a July 10 Washington Post op-ed “Biden should withdraw for the good of the country.”

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., called on Biden to “pass the torch to the next generation to carry on the legacy he started” in a statement Thursday, a day after Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., became the most high-profile House member to publicly call on Biden to drop out, telling the Los Angeles Times he has “serious concerns” Biden can’t beat former President Donald Trump.

Reps. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., and Mike Levin, D-Calif., were the 18th and 19th Democrats in Congress to publicly call on Biden to drop his bid, with both praising Biden’s years of public service but saying it was time for Biden to stand down.

Reps. Jim Himes, D-Conn., Scott Peters, D-Calif., and Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., pushed Biden to end his campaign last week, issuing statements right after Biden ended a high-stakes press conference wrapping up a NATO summit, that was widely viewed as a key opportunity to stop the Democratic defections.

A litany of other House Democrats have publicly urged Biden to stand down: Reps. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., Adam Smith, D-Wash., Ed Case, D-Hawaii, Brad Schneider, D-Ill., Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., and Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, was the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to push for Biden to step aside after the debate, explaining he “had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum,” but Biden instead “failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.”