Another Democrat urges Biden to withdraw as Trump debate fallout roils campaign

Rep.
Mikie
Sherrill
of
New
Jersey
on
Tuesday
became
the
latest
Democratic
lawmaker
to
publicly
urge
President
Joe
Biden
to
end
his
reelection
bid
and
allow
a
new
nominee
to
compete
against
former
President

Donald
Trump.

“When
I
think
of
my
four
children
and
all
of
the
rights
that
another
Trump
presidency
endangers,
and
in
light
of
the
recent
Supreme
Court
decision
that
gave
inordinate
power
to
the
President
of
the
United
States,
the
stakes
are
too
high
–
and
the
threat
is
too
real
–
to
stay
silent,”
Sherrill
said
in
a
statement.

“And
because
I
know
President
Biden
cares
deeply
about
the
future
of
our
country,
I
am
asking
that
he
declare
that
he
won’t
run
for
reelection
and
will
help
lead
us
through
a
process
toward
a
new
nominee,”
she
said.

Sherrill
is
the
seventh
House
Democrat
who
is
openly
calling
for
Biden’s
withdrawal
and
the
ninth
overall,

according
to
NBC
News’
tally.

Her
statement
came
hours
after
House
Democrats
convened
at
their
national
party
headquarters
in
Washington
for
a
pivotal
caucus
meeting,
as
members
weigh
whether
to
continue
backing

Biden‘s
besieged
campaign
or

seek
to
replace
him.

Lawmakers
had
no
access
to
their
phones
during
the
closed-door
meeting,
which
marked
the
first
time
the
full
caucus
has
assembled
since
Biden’s
disastrous
debate
against
Trump
in
June
sparked
a
full-blown
campaign
crisis.

Many
members
refused
to
answer
reporters’
questions
as
they
trickled
out
of
the
building
after
the
meeting
Tuesday
morning.

“I
promised
I
wouldn’t
talk
at
all
about
what
was
said,”
Rep.
Mike
Quigley,
D-Ill.,
told
NBC
News
as
he
departed.

When
a
reporter
asked
Rep.
Steve
Cohen,
D-Tenn.,
if
Democrats
were
on
the
same
page,
Cohen
replied,
“No
…
we’re
not
even
in
the
same
book.”

Cohen
also
told
an
Axios
reporter
that

some
members
in
the
caucus
meeting
said
that
Biden
should
withdraw.
A
spokesman
for
Cohen
did
not
respond
to
CNBC’s
request
to
confirm
that
comment.

Senate
Democrats
held
their
own
meeting
on
Capitol
Hill
on
Tuesday
afternoon.

Biden’s
feeble,
raspy
showing
in
the
debate
set
off
panic
among
Democrats,
prompting
some

top
donors,
pundits
and
allies
to
openly
urge
Biden,
81,
to
abandon
his
bid
for
another
four
years
in
office.

Rep.
Jerry
Nadler,
D-N.Y.,
who
also
called
on
Biden
to
drop
out,
said
Tuesday
that
he
now
backs
the
incumbent.

“I’m
fully
supportive
of
him.
I
plan
to
campaign
for
him.
And
it’s
essential
that
he
wins,”

Nadler
said.

But
Rep.
Lori
Trahan,
D-Mass.,
expressed
deep
reservations
about
Biden’s
continued
candidacy.

“Since
the
debate,
I
have
met
with
fellow
Biden
voters
in
Massachusetts
who
have
real
concerns
about
the
President’s
ability
to
beat
Donald
Trump.
I
share
those
concerns,”
Trahan,
the
co-chair
of
the
Democratic
Policy
and
Communications
Committee,
told
NBC
in
a
statement
Tuesday.

“While
President
Biden
has
made
clear
he
feels
he
is
the
best
candidate
to
win
this
election,
nothing
that
has
happened
over
the
past
twelve
days
suggests
that
voters
see
things
the
same
way,”
Trahan
said.

“A
second
Trump
presidency
will
do
irreparable
damage
to
women
and
to
our
country,
and
President
Biden
must
act
with
urgency
to
restore
Americans’
confidence
so
we
win
in
November.”

Overall,
however,
only
a
few
Democratic
lawmakers
have
gone
on
record
calling
for
a
change
at
the
top
of
the
ticket
—
an
immensely
risky
move
less
than
four
months
out
from
Election
Day.

Biden
has
rejected
calls
to
step
aside,
saying
he
believes
he
is
still
the
best
person
to
compete
against
Trump
in
the
presidential
election.
He
has
worked
since
the
debate
to
shore
up
support
from
key
blocs,
including
the
Congressional
Black
Caucus
and
the
Congressional
Hispanic
Caucus.

“I’m
standing
with
President
Joe
Biden
and
Vice
President
Kamala
Harris
and
we’re
going
to
continue
to
do
the
work
that
needs
to
get
done,”
Congressional
Hispanic
Caucus
chair
Nanette
Barragan,
D-Calif.,
said
on
MSNBC
after
the
caucus
meeting
Tuesday
morning.

Barragan
described
that
meeting
as
a
“family
conversation
to
hear
out
our
colleagues,”
but
added,
“those
are
private
conversations.”

Democratic
leaders
have
issued
terse
statements
of
support
for
the
Biden-Harris
ticket.

“I
made
clear
publicly
the
day
after
the
debate
that
I
support
President
Joe
Biden
and
the
Democratic
ticket.
My
position
has
not
changed,”
House
Democratic
Leader
Hakeem
Jeffries
of
New
York
told
reporters
Monday
evening.

Senate
Majority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer,
D-N.Y.,
has
said
he
backs
Biden.

Outside
the
Democratic
National
Committee
building,
a
handful
of
protesters,
clad
in
sunglasses
and
suits,
held
up
all-caps
signs
asking,
“Is
Joe
Biden
fit
for
office?!”

The
protesters
said
they
were
from
the
National
Republican
Campaign
Committee,
Politico
reported.

Correction:
A
previous
version
of
this
story
misidentified
the
state
represented
by
Rep.
Jerry
Nadler.
He
represents
New
York.