Several senior Democrats in the House of Representatives urged US President Joe Biden to abandon his attempt to run for reelection during a private call organized by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday afternoon, according to several participants.

 

Among those strongly advocating for Biden's withdrawal were Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), and Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY).

 

Members expressed concerns about Biden's trajectory, including Reps. Jim Himes (D-CT), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Rick Larsen (D-WA). 

 

This is considered a bad omen for Biden's campaign as all elected Democrats prepare to return to Washington on Monday evening, where representatives will face tough questioning about their party's standard-bearer.

 

This comes in addition to five House Democrats who have publicly called for Biden's withdrawal, while many others have privately expressed concerns about his viability.

 

Aaron Fritschner, a spokesperson for Beyer, posted on X in response to reports suggesting that Beyer called for a new candidate, "To be clear, [Beyer] supports President Biden and said so on this call, and any reports to the contrary are a misunderstanding of what he said and believes."