WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Democrats at the highest levels are making a critical push for to rethink his election bid, with former President Barack Obama expressing concerns to allies and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately telling Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn鈥檛 step away from the 2024 race.
Biden鈥檚 orbit, already small before his debate fumbling, has grown even smaller in recent days. Isolated as at home in Delaware, the president is relying on a few longtime aides as he weighs whether to bow to the mounting pressure to drop out.
The Biden For President campaign is calling an all-staff meeting for Friday. It's heading into a critical weekend for the party as Republican wraps up a heady Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and Democrats, racing time, consider the extraordinary possibility of Biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their own convention next month in Chicago.
As anxiety and information swirled, Biden鈥檚 closest friend in Congress and his campaign co-chair, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, told The Associated Press: 鈥淧resident Biden deserves the respect to have important family conversations with members of the caucus and colleagues in the House and Senate and Democratic leadership. and not be battling leaks and press statements.鈥�
Late Thursday, Montana Sen. Jon Tester became the second Democrat in the chamber Biden served in for four decades to call on him to step aside, saying in a statement, "I believe President Biden should not seek reelection to another term.鈥�
Some Cabinet members are resigned to the likelihood of Biden losing in November. They have concerns about the insularity of his team and are focusing on having policies finalized and in place ahead of the end of his term, according to a person familiar with their thinking. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Campaign officials said Biden was even more committed to staying in the race even as the calls for him to go mounted. But there was also time to reconsider. He has been told the campaign is having trouble raising money, and some Democrats see an opportunity as he is away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit.
Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling in Las Vegas and is experiencing 鈥渕ild symptoms鈥� including 鈥済eneral malaise鈥� from the infection, the White House said.
The president himself, in a radio interview taped just before he tested positive, dismissed the idea it was too late for him to recover politically, telling Univision鈥檚 Luis Sandoval that many people don鈥檛 focus on the November election until September.
鈥淎ll the talk about who鈥檚 leading and where and how, is kind of, you know 鈥� everything so far between Trump and me has been basically even,鈥� he said in an excerpt of the interview released Thursday.
But in Congress, Democratic lawmakers have begun having private conversations about lining up behind Vice President Kamala Harris as an alternative. One lawmaker said Biden鈥檚 own advisers are unable to reach a unanimous recommendation about what he should do. More in Congress are considering joining the nearly two dozen who have called for Biden to drop out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear the issue won鈥檛 go away,鈥� said Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, the other Senate Democrat who has publicly said Biden should exit the race. Welch said the current state of party angst 鈥� with lawmakers panicking and donors revolting 鈥� was 鈥渘ot sustainable.鈥�
Obama has conveyed to allies that Biden needs to consider the viability of his campaign but has also made clear that the decision is one Biden needs to make. The former president has taken calls in recent days from members of congressional leadership, Democratic governors and key donors to discuss their concerns about his former vice president.
Pelosi also presented polling to Biden that she argued shows he likely can鈥檛 defeat 鈥� though the former speaker countered Thursday in a sharp statement that the 鈥渇eeding frenzy鈥� from anonymous sources 鈥渕isrepresents any conversations鈥� she may have had with the president.
This story is based in part on reporting from more than half a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private deliberations. The Washington Post first reported on Obama鈥檚 involvement.
Biden said Monday he hadn鈥檛 spoken to Obama in a couple of weeks.
Pressed about reports that Biden might be softening to the idea of leaving the race, his deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Thursday: 鈥淗e is not wavering on anything.鈥�
However, influential Democrats atop the party apparatus, including congressional leadership headed by Senate Majority Leader and House Democratic Leader , are sending signals of strong concern.
Using mountains of data showing Biden鈥檚 standing could seriously damage the ranks of Democrats in Congress, frank conversations in public and private and now the president鈥檚 own few days of isolation, many Democrats see an opportunity to encourage a reassessment.
Over the past week, Schumer and Jeffries, both of New York, have spoken privately to the president, candidly laying out the concerns of Democrats on Capitol Hill. Control of the House and Senate is at stake, and leaders are keenly aware that a Republican sweep in November could launch Trump's agenda for years to come.
Separately, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, spoke with the president last week armed with fresh data. The campaign chief specifically aired the concerns of front-line Democrats seeking election to the House.
Major political donors, particularly in Pelosi鈥檚 California, have been putting heavy pressure on the president鈥檚 campaign and members of Congress, according to one Democratic strategist. Schumer has told donors and others to bring their concerns directly to the White House.
Prominent California Rep. , a close ally of , called for Biden to drop his reelection bid, saying Wednesday he believes it's time to 鈥減ass the torch.鈥� And Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland used a baseball metaphor to suggest in a recent letter to Biden, 鈥淭here is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow to the overflowing appreciation of the crowd.鈥�
To be sure, many want Biden to stay in the race. And the Democratic National Committee is pushing ahead with plans for in the first week of August, ahead of , which begins Aug. 19.
Rep. James Clyburn, a senior Democrat who has been a key Biden ally, wrapped up several days of campaigning for Biden in Nevada and said: 鈥淛oe Biden has the knowledge. He鈥檚 demonstrated that time and time again.鈥� He warned against those who he said 鈥渉ave an agenda."
But among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to . That sharply undercuts Biden's post-debate claim that 鈥渁verage Democrats鈥� are still with him even if some 鈥渂ig names鈥� are turning on him.
The Biden campaign pointed to what it called 鈥渆xtensive support鈥� for his reelection from members of Congress in key swing states, as well as from the Congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses.
Other Democrats in Congress have shown less support, including when Biden's top aides visited Democratic senators last week in a private lunch. When Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania asked for a show of hands on who was with the president, only his own and a few others including top Biden ally Coons of Delaware went up, according to one of the people granted anonymity to discuss the matter.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Mich., and Josh Boak. Ellen Knickmeyer, Steve Peoples, Will Weissert, Mary Clare Jalonick, Seung Min Kim and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller, Michael Balsamo And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
