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The first House Democrat has publicly called on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who has represented his district since 1995, expressed his disappointment in Biden’s inability to gain momentum from the debate. Doggett also addressed a slump in Biden’s poll numbers against Trump, saying, “President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump. I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not.” He criticized Biden for not effectively defending his accomplishments or countering Trump’s “lies.”

Congressman Doggett added, “I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same. While much of his work has been transformational, he pledged to be transitional. He has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process.”
This development comes as top Democrats, including former President Obama and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have continued to publicly support Biden. However, behind the scenes, Democratic lawmakers have been discussing the prospect of Biden stepping aside.
Despite this, the Biden campaign has dismissed speculation that President Biden would be stepping down. In addition, one day after the debate, President Biden and the first lady vowed to continue.