Biden Faces Growing Doubts From Democrats About His 2024 Re-election

WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) – Some elected Democrats loyal to President Joe Biden raised fresh questions on Tuesday about his 2024 re-election bid, with one calling for him to step aside, a shift after many defended him in the wake of last week’s shaky debate performance.

Whether Biden continues his 2024 bid for president after his halting debate performance against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is largely his decision, Democrats and political strategists have said.

But Biden is under pressure. Some donors have called for him to step aside, and other Democrats are worrying openly that he is not equipped to beat Trump in November.

There are 25 Democratic members of the House of Representatives preparing to call for Biden to step aside if he seems shaky in coming days, according to one House Democratic aide.

A second House Democratic aide said moderate House Democrats in competitive districts – often called “frontliners” – were getting hammered with questions in their districts this week.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after the debate showed one in three Democrats think Biden should end his re-election bid.

U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett became the first congressional Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race on Tuesday. He told NBC News in an interview that he hoped other Democratic lawmakers would follow his lead.

“It looks like the dam has broken,” the second aide said.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi emphasized Biden’s multiple legislative accomplishments during an interview with MSNBC Tuesday but said it was legitimate to ask whether his debate performance was a one-night thing or a broader health problem. She said Trump should be given the same scrutiny.

“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’ And so when people ask that question, it’s legitimate, of both candidates,” Pelosi said.

Immediately after the debate, Pelosi had shown strong support. “Joe Biden’s decision to go forward is a decision that we will all embrace because of the record he has and the performance that will come with it,” she said then.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that Biden did not have an “episode,” just a bad night.

Vice President Kamala Harris, asked in a CBS News interview about Doggett’s demand, said: “Look, Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once and we’re gonna beat him. Period.”