Dozens of House Democrats may sign a letter calling on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election, a senior party official told Bloomberg News on Wednesday.
Biden's performance in the first debate against former President Donald Trump has many Democrat legislators and candidates, including those running in districts traditionally considered safe for Democrats, concerned that his declining support could hurt their chances of retaking the House.
Although only a single congressional Democrat, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, has publicly called for Biden to step aside, others have publicly expressed their concerns about his performance and his viability as a candidate.
"Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden's first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so," said Doggett in a statement after the debate.
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., told Bloomberg News, "I reject the notion this was a bad night and everything's OK."
He added, "This was a bad night, and it's a serious situation that has to be dealt with."
A major donor to Biden's campaign, Charles Myers, founder and chairman of the global market advisory firm Signum Global Advisors, told "Bloomberg Surveillance" that the president "was very together and very alert" when he saw Biden on Friday night, but noted that his campaign has "probably another five to six days" in order "to show that to the American people."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.