Biden scrambles to bolster support as Democrats reportedly look to Harris to replace him – live | US elections 2024

Another Democratic legislator has suggested that Kamala Harris could replace Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee amid growing discontent following Biden’s poor debate performance.

House Democrat Summer Lee of Pennsylvania said Harris was the “obvious choice” in a scenario where Biden decides not to run, CBS News reported.

During a radio interview, Lee warned that “time is not on our side” when it comes to possibly selecting a new Democratic presidential candidate.

Lee added that Harris has the “name recognition” after serving as vice president and has been campaigning.

Lee also noted that forgoing Harris, a Black woman, would not be ideal optics.

Read Lee’s full comments here, from CBS’s Scott MacFarlane.

Maybe folks don’t want to hear, but we have timing that is running out. Time is not on our side. We have a few months to do a monumental task. It’s not cheap and it’s not easy. If our president decides this is not a pathway forward for him, we have to move very quickly. There’s not going to be time for a primary. That time is past. The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s sitting right there. She’s already been in the White House. And has the name recognition. And has been on the trail … and the optics of pushing aside a Black woman… it’s not good

Biden’s support among Democrats is in trouble as at least one Democratic legislator publicly stated that the president should withdraw his candidacy in the 2024 election.

Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas is the first Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw, elaborating on his thoughts in a interview on Wednesday morning.

While speaking with NPR’s Morning Edition, Doggett said:

We have a criminal and his gang that are about to take over our government. We have to do everything we possibly can to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the new authoritarian strongman in our country …

President Biden has had some significant accomplishments. I’ve supported him throughout. But he has not convinced the American people. He’s lagged behind our Senate candidates and what we hope would add momentum, only widened the gap.

When asked if Biden could beat Trump, Doggett said:

I think that he is far behind and that we have to put our best possibility forward instead of putting forward the same person that so many people, some called the ‘double haters’, have rejected. We need to add some enthusiasm and excitement in our campaign.

Listen to the full interview here.

Biden scrambles to bolster support as Democrats reportedly look to Harris to replace him

Léonie Chao-Fong

Good morning, US politics readers.

Joe Biden has invited Democratic governors to meet with him at the White House today as the president faces increasingly concerning polls and growing calls to withdraw his candidacy, following last week’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, a House Democrat from Texas, Lloyd Doggett, became the first in his party to publicly urge Biden to step aside. Later that evening, a House Democratic aide said that as many as 25 Democratic House members are preparing to call for Biden to withdraw from the race.

According to Reuters, Kamala Harris would be the top alternative to replace Biden if he did decide to step down – although there are no signs that that the president is considering doing so. Among the names being floated are Democratic governors Gavin Newsom from California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, but Harris is at the very top of that list, the news agency said, citing sources.

Here’s what we’re watching: (all times eastern)