TOPLINE A fourth senate Democrat called on President Joe Biden to quit the presidential race Friday, joining other 35 Democrats in Congress and a 55,000-member Washington state labor union as the president maintains his defiance and plans to keep campaigning next week.
First Presidential Debate; Biden vs Trump
President Joe Biden and former President Donald .
The latest call for Biden to quit the race came from Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, whose third re-election bid in November is considered crucial to Democrats' efforts to hold onto a Senate majority.
Brown joins two other Democrats who spoke out about Biden as they run for re-election this year: Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N. M. , and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. , who is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats (the first senator to call on Biden to stand down was Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.).
Eleven House Democrats called on Biden to step down Friday: Reps. Gabe Vasquez, D-N. M., Jared Huffman, D-Calif. , Marc Veasey, D-Texas, Chuy Garcia, D-Ill. , and Mark Pocan, D-Wisc. , in a joint statement; Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill. ; Rep.| Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. ; Rep.| Greg Landsman, D-Ohio; Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla. ; Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky. ; and Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn. , who explicitly called for Harris to replace Biden and choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. , called on Biden to drop out on Thursday, and on Wednesday, 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. , both publicly called on Biden to drop his bid on July 12, 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 on July 11, 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. L.Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. , Adam Smith, D-Wash. , Ed Case, D-Hawaii, Brad Schneider, D-Ill.| , Hillary Scholten, D-Mich.|l , Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. , Pat Ryan, D-N. Y. , Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. , and Mikie Sherrill, Dan J.
Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn, Mike Quigley, D-Ill. , Seth Moulton, D-Mass. , and Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz. , have also called on Biden to stand down.
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. "
The Local 3000 chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers urged Biden to step down Friday, citing the "immediate risk" a second Trump presidency would pose for workers, The New York Times reported, noting the UFCW 3000 appears to be the first major union to stray from Biden, though it backed the campaign for Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in primaries in protest of Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
WHICH CELEBRITIES HAVE CALLED FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT?
Several A-list celebrities have stepped up to criticize the president for staying in the race, including Biden fundraiser George Clooney, who penned an op-ed in the New York Times imploring Biden to "save democracy" and step away from the race. Other Hollywood figures include actor Rob Reiner, author Stephen King and heiress Abigail Disney
[attachment deleted by admin]