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2 hours ago<\/time><\/p>\n\n
By\u00a0Sam Cabral,\u00a0<\/span>BBC News, Washington<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nJoe Biden does not appear ready to call time on his re-election bid<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
A growing number of Democrats are calling on Joe Biden to end his presidential re-election bid and step aside for a younger contender.<\/p>\n
Concerns over his poor debate performance have spread over the past fortnight among politicians, donors and others within the party.<\/p>\n
The 81-year-old has defiantly declared he is “not going anywhere”.<\/p>\n
But the pressure is mounting as he continues to lose ground in the polls against Republican rival Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Who wants Biden to go?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
It began five days after the June 27 debate with Lloyd Doggett, <\/b>a <\/b>15-term Texas congressman, who said that it was time for Mr Biden to “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw”.<\/p>\n
Mr Doggett, 77, who sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said he respected “all that President Biden has achieved” but that the Democrat had failed to “effectively defend his many accomplishments” on the debate stage.<\/p>\n
He has since been joined by other House of Representatives colleagues:<\/p>\n
\nArizona left-winger Raul Grijalva<\/b> told The New York Times that the campaign was in a “precarious” state and Mr Biden had to now “shoulder the responsibility” of holding the White House.<\/li>\nSeth Moulton <\/b>of Massachusetts and a 2020 presidential candidate, told WBUR that he no longer had confidence that Mr Biden could beat Trump.<\/li>\nMike Quigley<\/b>, an Illinois congressman involved in planning the party convention, made a direct plea to the president on MSNBC, saying that his “legacy is set” but it was time to “let someone else do this”.<\/li>\nAngie Craig<\/b>, a Minnesota Democrat representing a swing district, fretted over Mr Biden’s debate performance and his “lack of a forceful response” since then, and warned “there is only a small window left” to choose a replacement.<\/li>\nAdam Smith<\/b> of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Mr Biden could no longer “clearly, articulately, and strongly make his case to the American people”.<\/li>\nMikie Sherrill<\/b>, a centre-left New Jersey congresswoman, wrote that “the stakes are too high – and the threat is too real – to stay silent” because Democrats “cannot allow Trump to return to the White House”. <\/li>\nPat Ryan<\/b>, from a vulnerable seat in the state of New York, urged Mr Biden “to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders” and step aside “for the good of our country”.<\/li>\nLong-time Oregon leftist Earl Blumenauer<\/b>, who is retiring at the end of this term, said he hoped Mr Biden would end his bid because the 2024 race was “not just about extending his presidency but protecting democracy”.<\/li>\nHillary Scholten<\/b>, from a Michigan swing district, told The Detroit News: “We just have too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines and be silent while we still have time to do something.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n ‘Hard to imagine’ Biden serving full term, says Michael Douglas<\/figcaption><\/p>\n\n
It took just under two weeks from the debate for the first Democrat senator to call for Mr Biden to drop out. Peter Welch, <\/b>of Vermont, told the Washington Post: “We need him to put us first, as he has done before,” he said. “I urge him to do it now.”<\/p>\n
Other prominent figures have also joined the growing chorus:<\/p>\n
\nNew York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado<\/b>, a former member of the House of Representatives, said Mr Biden “can add to his legacy, showing his strength and grace, by ending his campaign”.<\/li>\nEx-Ohio congressman Tim Ryan<\/b>, former housing secretary Julian Castro<\/b> and self-help guru Marianne Williamson<\/b> – all former primary opponents of Mr Biden – have called on him to withdraw.<\/li>\nGeorge Clooney<\/b>, the Hollywood actor and major party fundraiser, said in The New York Times that Mr Biden could not beat time. His article was titled: “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n