Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) is the first Democrat in Congress to call on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election. In his statement, Doggett noted that Americans are dissatisfied with Biden. “I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not. Instead of reassuring voters, the president failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.”
Doggett called on Biden to embrace the opportunity to allow the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to facilitate the nomination of a new-generation Democratic leader, stating:
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. My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved. 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.
Recalling Biden’s pledge during his 2020 presidential campaign to be a transitional leader, Doggett concluded:
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.
