US Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign event that is her seventh visit to North Carolina this year and 15th trip to the state since taking office in Fayetteville NC, United States on July 18, 2024.
Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris has won more public support from Democratic lawmakers as a potential replacement for President Joe Biden if he decides to drop out of the race against former President Donald Trump.
Calif. Rep. Mark Takano on Saturday he became the thirty-sixth Democrat on Capitol Hill to call on Biden to drop out of the race officially. He added that he thinks Harris should be the one running the ticket.
“President Biden’s greatest achievement remains saving democracy in 2020. He can and must do it again in 2024 — passing the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee,” Takano said in a statement.
“It has become clear to me that the demands of a modern campaign are now best met by the Vice President, who can seamlessly transition into the role of standard-bearer for our party,” he said.
Earlier in July, Takano was one of several Democratic committee members who expressed concerns about Biden’s election in a private meeting with Democratic Parliament leadership.
House Committee on Veterans Affairs (D-CA) Chairman Mark Takano speaks with members of the congressional delegation who recently traveled to the Indo-Pacific region at a news conference at the US Capitol Building on August 10, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | News Getty Images | Getty Images
Although some Democrats are looking for an open convention if Biden drops out, Takano has positioned himself in the faction of the party that sees Harris as the rightful heir at the top of the ticket, along with a campaign war chest of at least $91 million.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Saturday that Harris “stands ready to step up and unite the party” if the president decides to drop out of the race. Warren has not formally asked Biden to drop out of the race.
“Joe Biden is our candidate. He has a very big decision to make, but we’re very fortunate to have Vice President Kamala Harris. Eighty million people voted for her to step up if she has to,” Warren said in an interview with MSNBC. “The weekend.”
“Look, if you’re running against a convicted felon, then a prosecutor like Kamala is a really good person to make that case,” he added.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) addresses reporters during a break at a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight forum for all U.S. senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 13, 2023.
Julia Nikhinson | Reuters
Since Biden’s June 27 stumble against Trump, looming concerns about his age and his ability to win in November have left deep fissures in the Democratic Party. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists have called on him to drop out, despite his defiant pledge to stay in the race.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that some donors are organizing funds to vet potential vice presidential picks should the current Democratic ticket change.
As Democratic rifts widen, the president is still in self-isolation with Covid in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
The Biden campaign has continued to publicly and defiantly reject mounting pressure to quit, pledging that the president will stay in the race and return to the campaign trail once he is free of Covid.
“Once we get the green light, we’ll be back on the log,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters Saturday morning.
Tyler said Biden is expected to return to the campaign trail “in earnest” next week.
Biden on Saturday had completed his sixth round of the Covid-19 antiviral, Paxlovid, and was recovering “stable”, according to a briefing doctorKevin O’Connor.
In the meantime, Harris is shouldering the campaign message. On Saturday, he made the comments at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts that raised more than $2 million. And on Friday, Harris took part in a call with Democratic donors where she doubled down on her support for Biden, according to NBC News.
“We know which candidate in this election is putting the American people first: our president, Joe Biden,” he said. “We’re going to win this election. We’re going to win.”
Conservatives have so far been embroiled in emerging Democratic divisions, especially since the Republican National Convention, a joyous four-day celebration of Trump, their official nominee.
On Saturday, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s new running mate, took advantage of the Democratic pressure, calling on Biden not just to drop out of the race, but to resign his post entirely.
“Anyone calling for Joe Biden to *stop running* without also calling for him to resign is engaging in an absurd level of cynicism.” Vance he wrote in a post on X. “If you can’t run, you can’t serve. Resign now.”
Some of Biden’s allies are staying out of the lobbying campaign, instead supporting whatever path forward the president takes.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example, remained “respectful” of Biden’s decision to keep his campaign alive, two people familiar with the Clintons’ thinking told NBC News on Saturday.
The Clintons have actively sought to retain donor support for Biden and have told the White House they will help however they can, the people said.
While Biden has acknowledged concerns about his age, he has remained steadfast in his support for re-election and partly blames the media for focusing too much on his political vulnerabilities, even as some recent polls show his support slipping.
Protesters with a grassroots group called “Pass the Torch” gathered on the White House sidewalk on Saturday, praising Biden’s record as president but urging him to drop his bid for a second term.
“We are ready to unite behind a new candidate and do everything in our power to electorally kick Donald Trump’s ass in November,” shouted Aaron Regunberg, one of the organization’s leaders. “We’re begging you Joe, if you’re listening, be the hero. Be the public servant, be the leader we know you are. Pass the torch.”
