House Democrat Schiff predicts Kamala Harris could win ‘landscape’ if Biden withdraws
Adam Schiffa House Democrat who is likely to become California’s next senator in the November election said he thought Kamala Harris could win the election if Joe Biden falls out.
“The interview did not address those concerns. No interview will,” Schiff said on NBC News. “And what I think the president has to decide is, can he put those concerns aside? Can he show the American people that what happened on the debate stage was an aberration?”
Referring to the vice president, Schiff said, “I think she very well could win overwhelmingly, but before we make a decision about who else it should be, the president has to make a decision about whether it should be him.”
He added: “Either he has to win overwhelmingly or he has to pass the torch to someone who can.”
Key events
Top House Democrat calls high-level meeting on Biden’s candidacy – report
We may hear more from Democratic lawmakers later today after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls an unusual Sunday meeting to discuss Joe Biden‘s candidacy.
According to the New York Times, Jeffries will meet with key members of the committees in the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by Republicans.
The time of the meeting is not yet clear, but we will let you know what we hear.
Adam Schiff is among a group of House Democrats who have declined to say whether they believe Joe Biden should end his campaign.
But Schiff did encourage the president to hear different opinions on whether he should stay in the race:
I think Joe Biden needs to take the time to talk to people outside of his immediate circle, to people he respects, people with objectivity, people with distance, and to make the right decision for the country.
House Democrat Schiff predicts Kamala Harris could win ‘landscape’ if Biden withdraws
Adam Schiffa House Democrat who is likely to become California’s next senator in the November election said he thought Kamala Harris could win the election if Joe Biden falls out.
“The interview did not address those concerns. No interview will,” Schiff said on NBC News. “And what I think the president has to decide is, can he put those concerns aside? Can he show the American people that what happened on the debate stage was an aberration?”
Referring to the vice president, Schiff said, “I think she very well could win overwhelmingly, but before we make a decision about who else it should be, the president has to make a decision about whether it should be him.”
He added: “Either he has to win overwhelmingly or he has to pass the torch to someone who can.”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy also made it clear that Joe Biden’s interview with ABC News on Friday did not do enough to dispel doubts about his fitness for office.
“I think Friday night’s interview didn’t answer all the questions that people in my state have. They want to believe that this is still the old Joe Biden, but they need to see more of the president, and I hope we see that this week,” Murphy said.
Here’s more of what the president told the interviewer George Stephanopoulos:
Democratic Sen. Murphy says Biden faces ‘crucial week’ to calm voters’ concerns
In an interview with CNN, the Democratic senator said Chris Murphy refused to say whether he thought Joe Biden should drop out, but said “time is running out” for the president to address doubts about his fitness to continue serving.
“I think he needs to go out there this week and show the American public that he’s still the Joe Biden that they know and love. I’ll take him at his word. I believe he can do it, but I think this is a very important week. I think time is running out,” Murphy said.
If the president succeeds, the Connecticut lawmaker predicted he could get his campaign on track — but he warned of the consequences if he fails:
I think the president needs to answer the questions that voters have. If he does that this week, I think he’ll be in a very good position and we can get back to what this campaign should be, which is a contrast between Joe Biden, a decent, honorable man of character, and Donald Trump, a pathological liar who has advertised that he wants to support and mainstream political violence in this country. But again, if the president is not willing to do the things that are necessary to restore the confidence of voters or to answer the questions that voters have, then of course he has to make a decision about what is the best path forward for the country, but if he answers those questions this week, then there’s no doubt that he can win this race.
As pressure to drop out mounts, Biden campaigns in Pennsylvania with an eye on reassuring Democrats
Good morning, readers of the American Politics Blog. It has been more than a week since Joe Biden‘s weak performance in his first debate against Donald Trumpand things don’t appear to have improved for the president. While the president has insisted he has no plans to abandon his reelection bid, the ranks of Democratic lawmakers and party leaders calling on him to resign continue to grow, albeit slowly. The question is whether that group will be expanded to include the veteran lawmakers who are seen as most influential to the president — a group that includes the Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumerformer Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosiand a South Carolina congressman James Clyburn – but Biden isn’t sitting still. Today he travels to Pennsylvania, a swing state where he spent his youth and where he absolutely must win. He has two campaign events planned, appearing before supporters in Philadelphia and the capital, Harrisburg. As with almost everything Biden does after his tired appearance on the debate stage, these events will be opportunities to prove to the public that he has what it takes to stay president for another four years. We’ll let you know how it goes.
Here’s what else is going on:
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Hakeem JeffriesThe Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives is reportedly planning to convene a meeting of key lawmakers today to discuss Biden’s campaign.
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The Sunday talk shows have several Democratic representatives and senators on the agenda, and they could use the opportunity to determine whether they think the president should withdraw.
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Kamala Harris appeared in New Orleans yesterday amid speculation that she is poised to take over for Biden if he abandons his campaign. Here’s how it went down.