Joe is the closest thing the Dems have to a centrist candidate. He'd have a great chance to beat the Dark Lord. Will they pick him? Of course not!
Joe Manchin Calls on Biden to ‘Pass the Torch’
The longtime ally said the Democratic Party should have an open process to pick a new 2024 presidential nominee
By Natalie Andrews, WSJ
Updated July 21, 2024 10:43 am ET
Sen. Joe Manchin called for President Biden to step down as the party’s 2024 election nominee, becoming the fifth allied senator to do so and ramping up pressure on the president, who insists he is the only one who can defeat Donald Trump.
“I come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin (I., W.Va.) said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” Manchin worked with Biden on key legislation, such as the infrastructure bill and the comprehensive health and climate bill. The lawmaker from West Virginia left the Democratic Party earlier this year, though he still caucuses with the party.
Previewing the potential fight to come, Manchin also broke with some other Democrats and called for an open process to pick a new nominee, a further sign that the party has no clear consensus on what it would do if Biden did step down.
The Biden campaign hasn’t been able to stop lawmakers from calling for Biden to drop off the ticket, and he has continued to bleed support since his disastrous debate last month while Republicans have lionized Trump.
In a new ABC News/IPSOS poll released on Sunday, Trump’s favorability rating rose to 40%, the highest point since 2020. Biden’s favorability was at 32%, and 60% of poll respondents said Biden should drop out of the race.
President Biden says he is Democrats’ best choice to beat Donald Trump. PHOTO: SUSAN WALSH/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rep. Jim Clyburn is one of the prominent Democrats reiterating his support for the president’s re-election bid. PHOTO: TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL/ZUMA PRESS
Despite mounting calls, Biden has maintained that he has made his decision and will continue to be the party’s nominee, saying he won the primary race in which he was largely unopposed. Most Democrats have continued to support Biden, though many have expressed concern at the 81-year-old’s ability to beat Trump.
“We all share the same goal: an America where everyone gets a fair shot and freedom and democracy are protected,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement. “Unlike Republicans, we’re a party that accepts—and even celebrates—differing opinions, but in the end, we will absolutely come together to beat Donald Trump this November.”
On Sunday, some of the president’s most stalwart supporters continued to stand by him.
“I support Joe Biden,” Rep. Jim Clyburn, widely credited with saving Biden’s candidacy in 2020, said on CNN. “He is still in this race. He will be our nominee if he stays in the race…if he were to change his mind, then I will change mine.”
Another ally, Rep. Ro Khanna, said on ABC: “He’s running on a working-class agenda, rent caps, expanding Social Security. You can’t just have someone, after the fact, engineer a ticket that may not be consistent with where the Democratic primary electorate is.”
Lawmakers are set to return to Washington this week, likely bringing new calls for Biden to drop out as they fret about losing the White House and seats in Congress. About three dozen lawmakers have called for Biden to step aside.
The Trump campaign in June increased its cash-on-hand lead over Biden’s. The former president’s campaign committee reported $128 million in the bank at the end of the month, ahead of $96 million for Biden’s committee, according to filings Saturday with the Federal Election Commission.
Trump’s total fundraising apparatus also has more cash. Its entities, including the Republican National Committee, reported $284 million in cash at the end of June while Biden’s campaign, related committees and the DNC reported $239 million.
Democrats remain divided on who should replace Biden should he drop out. Asked if Vice President Kamala Harris could beat Trump, Manchin said he wanted an open process, and named Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania as two candidates he would like to see included. “Their legislature is Republican or split down the middle,” he said. “They haven’t demonized, they haven’t divided their country. They brought people together.”
Other Democrats have signaled they would support Harris to take Biden’s place. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on MSNBC on Saturday said the former senator is ready to “step up” and “unite the party to take on Donald Trump,” saying she was a crusader against big banks and heralded her efforts to protect abortion rights.
Democrats are set to formalize their candidate on Aug. 7 in a roll call, ahead of their convention in mid-August.
Anthony DeBarros contributed to this article.
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