Vice President Kamala Harris has been the front-runner Democratic presidential nominee for less than 48 hours, but already the Democratic Party appears ready to move on from President Joe Biden and lean into the “electric” energy of her candidacy as donations and volunteer numbers soar.

Though Harris is seeing a boon in support from congressional Democrats and voters across the country, the vice president will have to overcome several roadblocks, such as the administration’s record and her ability to appeal to moderate voters as Republicans paint her as more liberal than Biden.

Biden’s dwindling support among key demographics, including black and young voters, paired with his declining physical and mental faculties, raised concerns among down-ballot Democrats that the president could be a liability for competitive swing seats and battleground states.

With Harris as the all-but-assured nominee, Democrats are seeing a boon in excitement and support that they have not seen with Biden in a long time.

“I just feel really good about the momentum of being able to put this debate behind us, to be able to have a candidate that we’ve all unified around,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told reporters when asked if she feels more confident with Harris as nominee than Biden.

Jayapal noted how more than 58,000 people have signed up to volunteer for Harris and her campaign raised over $100 million between Sunday and Monday evening. Democrats are noting the growing excitement within their base as a positive sign things are turning around, she said.

“That is the juice behind the campaign; that is the wind behind our sails,” Jayapal said. “That is the volunteers, that is the organizing, that is the door knocking that’s going to get people to care about the election and be able to see themselves in it. And I just think she’s a great candidate.” 

With Biden as the candidate, Democrats dodged questions on the future of the party and their ability to win the White House, resigning to the fact that it was “Biden’s decision” whether to stay in the race. Now, the tide has turned, with members eager to talk about their presumptive nominee.

“If the last two days are any indication, the energy is electric,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told the Washington Examiner.

Jayapal noted to reporters that she was never defeated and was “really pissed off at the fact that people kept talking about how we were resigned” with Biden as the nominee but added that there is “incredible” energy now.

When asked if Harris would rally voters in a way Biden could not, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) said he thinks she’ll be best at getting out the young vote.

“She’s certainly younger than both of the other candidates,” Ivey said. “So, you know, the people who are unhappy about these two people in their 80-plus-year-old range, they’ve got somebody new now to rethink that with, and I think she definitely strikes that image and carries it well.”

Harris’s team has been leaning on the many memes and videos circulating on social media, as well as endorsements from key celebrities and pop stars, as a way to appeal to young voters in a way that Biden, at age 81, could not. Priorities USA, the largest Democratic PAC, held a briefing on Tuesday and advocated prioritizing YouTube as a key way to draw in new voters, noting how much Harris is already motivating people online.

Though connecting with voters through social media can be a key campaign tool, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, said that Democrats, particularly front-line candidates, cannot take this momentum for granted.

“We got to do our job, right,” Frost said. “We can’t just say, ‘Oh, something’s going viral online’ and that’s it. We got to go out there and speak with these young voters and get them connected, registered to vote, and make sure they know when and where to vote.”

Another key demographic for Harris to focus on is the black vote. Biden won black voters handily in 2020, 92% to former President Donald Trump’s 8%, but polling over recent months showed black support for the president draining down to 50% or lower. 

A Republican presidential candidate has not won more than 12% of the black vote in nearly 50 years. Conversely, no Democratic presidential candidate since the civil rights era has earned less than 80% of the black vote. 

Brad Bannon, Democratic strategist and president of Bannon Communications Research, told the Washington Examiner that just “showing up and being a nominee” is a big asset for Harris to win over the black community.

“Young voters who are concerned about Biden’s age don’t have to worry, she doesn’t have to worry about that. She’s almost 20 years younger than Donald Trump,” Bannon said of Harris. “Voters who wanted black representation in the White House, she solved that problem just by showing up. I don’t think she has to do anything special.”

Bannon’s assessment aligns with the amount of support flowing out from the black community. On Sunday, 44,000 black women joined a call with black female congressional members with the goal to elect Harris as the next president in a little over 100 days.

Frost told the Washington Examiner that he was on a call with “tens of thousands” of black men rallying around Harris on Monday night.

“And I think that just shows she’s energizing black folks, black men, black women. … And I think it takes a special kind of leader to inspire this, like bridging this gap between cool and consciousness, and I think we see that with the vice president right now on TikTok and on social media,” Frost said. “So, now we gotta go out there and translate that into votes.”

At a Congressional Black Caucus press conference Tuesday, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) predicted Harris’s candidacy would drive the black vote to numbers higher than Biden saw in 2020.

“I thought that what I saw in 2008 could never be duplicated,” Meeks said. “I thought that I thought that that interest would fade away. But let me tell you, what we are seeing right now goes farther than what I saw at the beginning of 2008.”

“The one time in my life where I saw lines around the block of people waiting to vote, taking their time, making sure they had the right to vote and they were going to vote was 2008 — that, I will say, will be shattered in 2024 in November,” Meeks, who chairs the CBC’s political action committee, continued.

Meeks said the CBC PAC will target battleground states and predominately black areas, like Detroit, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, and Atlanta in the coming weeks to garner support for Harris.

“When you see those lines coming out in those areas, then you know what’s coming next — the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris,” Meeks said.

Ahead of Biden’s decision to withdraw from the campaign, concerns over Harris as the nominee centered largely around her ability to draw in moderate and white middle-class voters. Bannon noted, however, that many of the middle-class targets are suburban women, who will be excited to see a female candidate running for president.

“One of the advantages of her being on the ticket is, it gives women a cause to rally around her since we’ve never had a female president,” Bannon said.

He added that another way to attract moderate white voters is for Harris to draw on her experience as a prosecutor and attorney general in California and target Trump’s age now that she is the younger candidate.

“The reality is, if you look at those moderate voters, they’re concerned about, you know, Trump’s fitness for office, the felony convictions, finding the liability for sexual assault,” Bannon said. “Moderate suburban voters are concerned about those issues.”

At her meeting with campaign staff at the newly revamped Harris headquarters in Delaware, the vice president highlighted her prosecuting record against those convicted of sexual assault, fraud, and “cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.”

“So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type,” Harris told campaign volunteers and staffers to loud applause.

Goldman said if Harris focuses on conveying the message of the Biden-Harris administration’s record, she will see success with those voting blocs.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Goldman said Harris should compare the policy differences between the administration and Project 2025, a conservative presidential transitional platform written for Trump but not endorsed by the former president. The New York Democrat also pointed to affordable healthcare, the child tax credit, and the increase in manufacturing jobs under Biden.

“Every goal of the Democrats and the Biden-Harris administration has been to lift up the lower class and expand the middle class, and that is what many of those voters are,” Goldman said. “So our challenge is to get out there and make sure that working Americans understand that Democrats are on their side and that the Republicans are on the side of their wealthy, special interests and the millionaires and billionaires.”

2024-07-23 21:55:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3096308%2Fdemocrats-relish-harris-honeymoon-phase-biden-fades%2F?w=600&h=450, Vice President Kamala Harris has been the front-runner Democratic presidential nominee for less than 48 hours, but already the Democratic Party appears ready to move on from President Joe Biden and lean into the “electric” energy of her candidacy as donations and volunteer numbers soar. Though Harris is seeing a boon in support from congressional,

Vice President Kamala Harris has been the front-runner Democratic presidential nominee for less than 48 hours, but already the Democratic Party appears ready to move on from President Joe Biden and lean into the “electric” energy of her candidacy as donations and volunteer numbers soar.

Though Harris is seeing a boon in support from congressional Democrats and voters across the country, the vice president will have to overcome several roadblocks, such as the administration’s record and her ability to appeal to moderate voters as Republicans paint her as more liberal than Biden.

Biden’s dwindling support among key demographics, including black and young voters, paired with his declining physical and mental faculties, raised concerns among down-ballot Democrats that the president could be a liability for competitive swing seats and battleground states.

With Harris as the all-but-assured nominee, Democrats are seeing a boon in excitement and support that they have not seen with Biden in a long time.

“I just feel really good about the momentum of being able to put this debate behind us, to be able to have a candidate that we’ve all unified around,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told reporters when asked if she feels more confident with Harris as nominee than Biden.

Jayapal noted how more than 58,000 people have signed up to volunteer for Harris and her campaign raised over $100 million between Sunday and Monday evening. Democrats are noting the growing excitement within their base as a positive sign things are turning around, she said.

“That is the juice behind the campaign; that is the wind behind our sails,” Jayapal said. “That is the volunteers, that is the organizing, that is the door knocking that’s going to get people to care about the election and be able to see themselves in it. And I just think she’s a great candidate.” 

With Biden as the candidate, Democrats dodged questions on the future of the party and their ability to win the White House, resigning to the fact that it was “Biden’s decision” whether to stay in the race. Now, the tide has turned, with members eager to talk about their presumptive nominee.

“If the last two days are any indication, the energy is electric,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told the Washington Examiner.

Jayapal noted to reporters that she was never defeated and was “really pissed off at the fact that people kept talking about how we were resigned” with Biden as the nominee but added that there is “incredible” energy now.

When asked if Harris would rally voters in a way Biden could not, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) said he thinks she’ll be best at getting out the young vote.

“She’s certainly younger than both of the other candidates,” Ivey said. “So, you know, the people who are unhappy about these two people in their 80-plus-year-old range, they’ve got somebody new now to rethink that with, and I think she definitely strikes that image and carries it well.”

Harris’s team has been leaning on the many memes and videos circulating on social media, as well as endorsements from key celebrities and pop stars, as a way to appeal to young voters in a way that Biden, at age 81, could not. Priorities USA, the largest Democratic PAC, held a briefing on Tuesday and advocated prioritizing YouTube as a key way to draw in new voters, noting how much Harris is already motivating people online.

Though connecting with voters through social media can be a key campaign tool, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, said that Democrats, particularly front-line candidates, cannot take this momentum for granted.

“We got to do our job, right,” Frost said. “We can’t just say, ‘Oh, something’s going viral online’ and that’s it. We got to go out there and speak with these young voters and get them connected, registered to vote, and make sure they know when and where to vote.”

Another key demographic for Harris to focus on is the black vote. Biden won black voters handily in 2020, 92% to former President Donald Trump’s 8%, but polling over recent months showed black support for the president draining down to 50% or lower. 

A Republican presidential candidate has not won more than 12% of the black vote in nearly 50 years. Conversely, no Democratic presidential candidate since the civil rights era has earned less than 80% of the black vote. 

Brad Bannon, Democratic strategist and president of Bannon Communications Research, told the Washington Examiner that just “showing up and being a nominee” is a big asset for Harris to win over the black community.

“Young voters who are concerned about Biden’s age don’t have to worry, she doesn’t have to worry about that. She’s almost 20 years younger than Donald Trump,” Bannon said of Harris. “Voters who wanted black representation in the White House, she solved that problem just by showing up. I don’t think she has to do anything special.”

Bannon’s assessment aligns with the amount of support flowing out from the black community. On Sunday, 44,000 black women joined a call with black female congressional members with the goal to elect Harris as the next president in a little over 100 days.

Frost told the Washington Examiner that he was on a call with “tens of thousands” of black men rallying around Harris on Monday night.

“And I think that just shows she’s energizing black folks, black men, black women. … And I think it takes a special kind of leader to inspire this, like bridging this gap between cool and consciousness, and I think we see that with the vice president right now on TikTok and on social media,” Frost said. “So, now we gotta go out there and translate that into votes.”

At a Congressional Black Caucus press conference Tuesday, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) predicted Harris’s candidacy would drive the black vote to numbers higher than Biden saw in 2020.

“I thought that what I saw in 2008 could never be duplicated,” Meeks said. “I thought that I thought that that interest would fade away. But let me tell you, what we are seeing right now goes farther than what I saw at the beginning of 2008.”

“The one time in my life where I saw lines around the block of people waiting to vote, taking their time, making sure they had the right to vote and they were going to vote was 2008 — that, I will say, will be shattered in 2024 in November,” Meeks, who chairs the CBC’s political action committee, continued.

Meeks said the CBC PAC will target battleground states and predominately black areas, like Detroit, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, and Atlanta in the coming weeks to garner support for Harris.

“When you see those lines coming out in those areas, then you know what’s coming next — the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris,” Meeks said.

Ahead of Biden’s decision to withdraw from the campaign, concerns over Harris as the nominee centered largely around her ability to draw in moderate and white middle-class voters. Bannon noted, however, that many of the middle-class targets are suburban women, who will be excited to see a female candidate running for president.

“One of the advantages of her being on the ticket is, it gives women a cause to rally around her since we’ve never had a female president,” Bannon said.

He added that another way to attract moderate white voters is for Harris to draw on her experience as a prosecutor and attorney general in California and target Trump’s age now that she is the younger candidate.

“The reality is, if you look at those moderate voters, they’re concerned about, you know, Trump’s fitness for office, the felony convictions, finding the liability for sexual assault,” Bannon said. “Moderate suburban voters are concerned about those issues.”

At her meeting with campaign staff at the newly revamped Harris headquarters in Delaware, the vice president highlighted her prosecuting record against those convicted of sexual assault, fraud, and “cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.”

“So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type,” Harris told campaign volunteers and staffers to loud applause.

Goldman said if Harris focuses on conveying the message of the Biden-Harris administration’s record, she will see success with those voting blocs.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Goldman said Harris should compare the policy differences between the administration and Project 2025, a conservative presidential transitional platform written for Trump but not endorsed by the former president. The New York Democrat also pointed to affordable healthcare, the child tax credit, and the increase in manufacturing jobs under Biden.

“Every goal of the Democrats and the Biden-Harris administration has been to lift up the lower class and expand the middle class, and that is what many of those voters are,” Goldman said. “So our challenge is to get out there and make sure that working Americans understand that Democrats are on their side and that the Republicans are on the side of their wealthy, special interests and the millionaires and billionaires.”

, Vice President Kamala Harris has been the front-runner Democratic presidential nominee for less than 48 hours, but already the Democratic Party appears ready to move on from President Joe Biden and lean into the “electric” energy of her candidacy as donations and volunteer numbers soar. Though Harris is seeing a boon in support from congressional Democrats and voters across the country, the vice president will have to overcome several roadblocks, such as the administration’s record and her ability to appeal to moderate voters as Republicans paint her as more liberal than Biden. Biden’s dwindling support among key demographics, including black and young voters, paired with his declining physical and mental faculties, raised concerns among down-ballot Democrats that the president could be a liability for competitive swing seats and battleground states. With Harris as the all-but-assured nominee, Democrats are seeing a boon in excitement and support that they have not seen with Biden in a long time. “I just feel really good about the momentum of being able to put this debate behind us, to be able to have a candidate that we’ve all unified around,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told reporters when asked if she feels more confident with Harris as nominee than Biden. Jayapal noted how more than 58,000 people have signed up to volunteer for Harris and her campaign raised over $100 million between Sunday and Monday evening. Democrats are noting the growing excitement within their base as a positive sign things are turning around, she said. “That is the juice behind the campaign; that is the wind behind our sails,” Jayapal said. “That is the volunteers, that is the organizing, that is the door knocking that’s going to get people to care about the election and be able to see themselves in it. And I just think she’s a great candidate.”  With Biden as the candidate, Democrats dodged questions on the future of the party and their ability to win the White House, resigning to the fact that it was “Biden’s decision” whether to stay in the race. Now, the tide has turned, with members eager to talk about their presumptive nominee. “If the last two days are any indication, the energy is electric,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told the Washington Examiner. Jayapal noted to reporters that she was never defeated and was “really pissed off at the fact that people kept talking about how we were resigned” with Biden as the nominee but added that there is “incredible” energy now. When asked if Harris would rally voters in a way Biden could not, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) said he thinks she’ll be best at getting out the young vote. “She’s certainly younger than both of the other candidates,” Ivey said. “So, you know, the people who are unhappy about these two people in their 80-plus-year-old range, they’ve got somebody new now to rethink that with, and I think she definitely strikes that image and carries it well.” Harris’s team has been leaning on the many memes and videos circulating on social media, as well as endorsements from key celebrities and pop stars, as a way to appeal to young voters in a way that Biden, at age 81, could not. Priorities USA, the largest Democratic PAC, held a briefing on Tuesday and advocated prioritizing YouTube as a key way to draw in new voters, noting how much Harris is already motivating people online. Though connecting with voters through social media can be a key campaign tool, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, said that Democrats, particularly front-line candidates, cannot take this momentum for granted. “We got to do our job, right,” Frost said. “We can’t just say, ‘Oh, something’s going viral online’ and that’s it. We got to go out there and speak with these young voters and get them connected, registered to vote, and make sure they know when and where to vote.” Another key demographic for Harris to focus on is the black vote. Biden won black voters handily in 2020, 92% to former President Donald Trump’s 8%, but polling over recent months showed black support for the president draining down to 50% or lower.  A Republican presidential candidate has not won more than 12% of the black vote in nearly 50 years. Conversely, no Democratic presidential candidate since the civil rights era has earned less than 80% of the black vote.  Brad Bannon, Democratic strategist and president of Bannon Communications Research, told the Washington Examiner that just “showing up and being a nominee” is a big asset for Harris to win over the black community. “Young voters who are concerned about Biden’s age don’t have to worry, she doesn’t have to worry about that. She’s almost 20 years younger than Donald Trump,” Bannon said of Harris. “Voters who wanted black representation in the White House, she solved that problem just by showing up. I don’t think she has to do anything special.” Bannon’s assessment aligns with the amount of support flowing out from the black community. On Sunday, 44,000 black women joined a call with black female congressional members with the goal to elect Harris as the next president in a little over 100 days. Frost told the Washington Examiner that he was on a call with “tens of thousands” of black men rallying around Harris on Monday night. “And I think that just shows she’s energizing black folks, black men, black women. … And I think it takes a special kind of leader to inspire this, like bridging this gap between cool and consciousness, and I think we see that with the vice president right now on TikTok and on social media,” Frost said. “So, now we gotta go out there and translate that into votes.” At a Congressional Black Caucus press conference Tuesday, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) predicted Harris’s candidacy would drive the black vote to numbers higher than Biden saw in 2020. “I thought that what I saw in 2008 could never be duplicated,” Meeks said. “I thought that I thought that that interest would fade away. But let me tell you, what we are seeing right now goes farther than what I saw at the beginning of 2008.” “The one time in my life where I saw lines around the block of people waiting to vote, taking their time, making sure they had the right to vote and they were going to vote was 2008 — that, I will say, will be shattered in 2024 in November,” Meeks, who chairs the CBC’s political action committee, continued. Meeks said the CBC PAC will target battleground states and predominately black areas, like Detroit, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, and Atlanta in the coming weeks to garner support for Harris. “When you see those lines coming out in those areas, then you know what’s coming next — the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris,” Meeks said. Ahead of Biden’s decision to withdraw from the campaign, concerns over Harris as the nominee centered largely around her ability to draw in moderate and white middle-class voters. Bannon noted, however, that many of the middle-class targets are suburban women, who will be excited to see a female candidate running for president. “One of the advantages of her being on the ticket is, it gives women a cause to rally around her since we’ve never had a female president,” Bannon said. He added that another way to attract moderate white voters is for Harris to draw on her experience as a prosecutor and attorney general in California and target Trump’s age now that she is the younger candidate. “The reality is, if you look at those moderate voters, they’re concerned about, you know, Trump’s fitness for office, the felony convictions, finding the liability for sexual assault,” Bannon said. “Moderate suburban voters are concerned about those issues.” At her meeting with campaign staff at the newly revamped Harris headquarters in Delaware, the vice president highlighted her prosecuting record against those convicted of sexual assault, fraud, and “cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.” “So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type,” Harris told campaign volunteers and staffers to loud applause. Goldman said if Harris focuses on conveying the message of the Biden-Harris administration’s record, she will see success with those voting blocs. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Goldman said Harris should compare the policy differences between the administration and Project 2025, a conservative presidential transitional platform written for Trump but not endorsed by the former president. The New York Democrat also pointed to affordable healthcare, the child tax credit, and the increase in manufacturing jobs under Biden. “Every goal of the Democrats and the Biden-Harris administration has been to lift up the lower class and expand the middle class, and that is what many of those voters are,” Goldman said. “So our challenge is to get out there and make sure that working Americans understand that Democrats are on their side and that the Republicans are on the side of their wealthy, special interests and the millionaires and billionaires.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AP24205693261212-1.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Rachel Schilke,

Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-MI) office by “violently beating” on the doors during a demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday.

“This afternoon, Congressman Kildee’s Washington, D.C. office had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance due to large demonstrations in the Cannon House Office Building,” Mitchell Rivard, Kildee’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “Hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office.”

Rivard said U.S. Capitol Police responded “immediately” to the situation and made several arrests.”
 
“Congressman Kildee is safe and his staff are all accounted for,” Rivard added.

Protesters gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building. Their chants echoed loudly throughout the building and were heard from several floors away. Capitol Police tried to clear the area and confiscate banners, and officers arrested some demonstrators with zip ties. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were arrested.

“Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” Capitol Police said in a statement. “We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The protest at Kildee’s office comes after Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) office in the Capitol was vandalized on July 4. Posters of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza were ripped down from the walls, shredded, and tossed across the hallway in a “vile act of hate.”

Protests are likely to ramp up over the next day due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Many Democrats, including progressive Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), have told reporters they will not be attending the speech.

2024-07-23 21:48:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3096449%2Fdan-kildee-office-targeted-palestinian-protest%2F?w=600&h=450, Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-MI) office by “violently beating” on the doors during a demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday. “This afternoon, Congressman Kildee’s Washington, D.C. office had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance due to large demonstrations in the Cannon House Office Building,” Mitchell Rivard, Kildee’s,

Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-MI) office by “violently beating” on the doors during a demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday.

“This afternoon, Congressman Kildee’s Washington, D.C. office had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance due to large demonstrations in the Cannon House Office Building,” Mitchell Rivard, Kildee’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “Hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office.”

Rivard said U.S. Capitol Police responded “immediately” to the situation and made several arrests.”
 
“Congressman Kildee is safe and his staff are all accounted for,” Rivard added.

Protesters gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building. Their chants echoed loudly throughout the building and were heard from several floors away. Capitol Police tried to clear the area and confiscate banners, and officers arrested some demonstrators with zip ties. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were arrested.

“Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” Capitol Police said in a statement. “We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The protest at Kildee’s office comes after Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) office in the Capitol was vandalized on July 4. Posters of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza were ripped down from the walls, shredded, and tossed across the hallway in a “vile act of hate.”

Protests are likely to ramp up over the next day due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Many Democrats, including progressive Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), have told reporters they will not be attending the speech.

, Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-MI) office by “violently beating” on the doors during a demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday. “This afternoon, Congressman Kildee’s Washington, D.C. office had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance due to large demonstrations in the Cannon House Office Building,” Mitchell Rivard, Kildee’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “Hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office.” Rivard said U.S. Capitol Police responded “immediately” to the situation and made several arrests.” “Congressman Kildee is safe and his staff are all accounted for,” Rivard added. Protesters gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building. Their chants echoed loudly throughout the building and were heard from several floors away. Capitol Police tried to clear the area and confiscate banners, and officers arrested some demonstrators with zip ties. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were arrested. A number of pro-Palestinian protesters were apprehended by U.S. Capitol Police officers as they staged a protest inside one of the House office buildings on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, just one day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to address Congress. (Cami Mondeaux/Washington Examiner). “Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” Capitol Police said in a statement. “We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The protest at Kildee’s office comes after Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) office in the Capitol was vandalized on July 4. Posters of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza were ripped down from the walls, shredded, and tossed across the hallway in a “vile act of hate.” Protests are likely to ramp up over the next day due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Many Democrats, including progressive Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), have told reporters they will not be attending the speech., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23363746871657-scaled-1024×683.jpg, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Rachel Schilke,

EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans are condemning the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in a new resolution, declaring that the “only appropriate place for the Nation to settle political disputes is at the ballot box on election day.”

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) on Tuesday afternoon and shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, states that the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 was an “abhorrent act of cowardice that must be universally condemned.”

Both Democrats and Republicans, including President Joe Biden, have condemned the shooting as an unacceptable display of political violence that has no place in America.

The resolution also condemns a bill called the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act that aimed to remove Secret Service protections for those who had been sentenced for a conviction. The bill text also blasts “inflammatory language” from the Democratic Party to “justify violence against Donald Trump” and a comment from Biden that called for putting “Trump in a bulls-eye” about shifting focus away from the June 27 presidential debate.

“The vile rhetoric used to smear Donald Trump and American conservatives must end,” Ogles said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “President Donald J. Trump came within millimeters of being assassinated, and it is because Leftists have spent the last decade characterizing Trump as a Nazi who wants to end democracy.

“Let me be clear: Trump took a bullet for democracy because high-ranking House Democrats, sold-out TV personalities, and every mainstream newspaper have engaged in disgusting displays of hate against America-first conservatives,” Ogles continued. “It is imperative the House pass my resolution to clear the record and call out the appalling rhetoric that gave a U.S. president a gunshot wound.”

Ogles’s resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Barry Moore (R-AL), Bill Posey (R-FL), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Mary Miller (R-IL), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Randy Weber (R-TX), Mike Waltz (R-FL) Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Brian Babin (R-TX), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO).

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The resolution comes on the same day that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following her lackluster testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Monday. Members from both parties, including most on that committee, had called on her to resign for the security failures that allowed a 20-year-old man to shoot at Trump from a nearby building. The shooter killed one attendee and injured two others, while Trump said he was grazed by a bullet in the ear.

The FBI is running the federal investigation into the shooting, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced Tuesday that members would vote this week to establish a bipartisan, 13-member task force to conduct the House’s own inquiry into the incident. Seven Republicans and six Democrats will sit on the force, leaders said.

2024-07-23 19:30:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3096205%2Fhouse-republicans-condemn-trump-assassination-attempt-new-resolution%2F?w=600&h=450, EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans are condemning the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in a new resolution, declaring that the “only appropriate place for the Nation to settle political disputes is at the ballot box on election day.” The resolution, introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) on Tuesday afternoon and shared exclusively with the,

EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans are condemning the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in a new resolution, declaring that the “only appropriate place for the Nation to settle political disputes is at the ballot box on election day.”

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) on Tuesday afternoon and shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, states that the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 was an “abhorrent act of cowardice that must be universally condemned.”

Both Democrats and Republicans, including President Joe Biden, have condemned the shooting as an unacceptable display of political violence that has no place in America.

The resolution also condemns a bill called the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act that aimed to remove Secret Service protections for those who had been sentenced for a conviction. The bill text also blasts “inflammatory language” from the Democratic Party to “justify violence against Donald Trump” and a comment from Biden that called for putting “Trump in a bulls-eye” about shifting focus away from the June 27 presidential debate.

“The vile rhetoric used to smear Donald Trump and American conservatives must end,” Ogles said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “President Donald J. Trump came within millimeters of being assassinated, and it is because Leftists have spent the last decade characterizing Trump as a Nazi who wants to end democracy.

“Let me be clear: Trump took a bullet for democracy because high-ranking House Democrats, sold-out TV personalities, and every mainstream newspaper have engaged in disgusting displays of hate against America-first conservatives,” Ogles continued. “It is imperative the House pass my resolution to clear the record and call out the appalling rhetoric that gave a U.S. president a gunshot wound.”

Ogles’s resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Barry Moore (R-AL), Bill Posey (R-FL), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Mary Miller (R-IL), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Randy Weber (R-TX), Mike Waltz (R-FL) Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Brian Babin (R-TX), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO).

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The resolution comes on the same day that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following her lackluster testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Monday. Members from both parties, including most on that committee, had called on her to resign for the security failures that allowed a 20-year-old man to shoot at Trump from a nearby building. The shooter killed one attendee and injured two others, while Trump said he was grazed by a bullet in the ear.

The FBI is running the federal investigation into the shooting, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced Tuesday that members would vote this week to establish a bipartisan, 13-member task force to conduct the House’s own inquiry into the incident. Seven Republicans and six Democrats will sit on the force, leaders said.

, EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans are condemning the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in a new resolution, declaring that the “only appropriate place for the Nation to settle political disputes is at the ballot box on election day.” The resolution, introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) on Tuesday afternoon and shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, states that the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 was an “abhorrent act of cowardice that must be universally condemned.” Both Democrats and Republicans, including President Joe Biden, have condemned the shooting as an unacceptable display of political violence that has no place in America. The resolution also condemns a bill called the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act that aimed to remove Secret Service protections for those who had been sentenced for a conviction. The bill text also blasts “inflammatory language” from the Democratic Party to “justify violence against Donald Trump” and a comment from Biden that called for putting “Trump in a bulls-eye” about shifting focus away from the June 27 presidential debate. “The vile rhetoric used to smear Donald Trump and American conservatives must end,” Ogles said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “President Donald J. Trump came within millimeters of being assassinated, and it is because Leftists have spent the last decade characterizing Trump as a Nazi who wants to end democracy. “Let me be clear: Trump took a bullet for democracy because high-ranking House Democrats, sold-out TV personalities, and every mainstream newspaper have engaged in disgusting displays of hate against America-first conservatives,” Ogles continued. “It is imperative the House pass my resolution to clear the record and call out the appalling rhetoric that gave a U.S. president a gunshot wound.” Ogles’s resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Barry Moore (R-AL), Bill Posey (R-FL), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Mary Miller (R-IL), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Randy Weber (R-TX), Mike Waltz (R-FL) Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Brian Babin (R-TX), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO). CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The resolution comes on the same day that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following her lackluster testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Monday. Members from both parties, including most on that committee, had called on her to resign for the security failures that allowed a 20-year-old man to shoot at Trump from a nearby building. The shooter killed one attendee and injured two others, while Trump said he was grazed by a bullet in the ear. The FBI is running the federal investigation into the shooting, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced Tuesday that members would vote this week to establish a bipartisan, 13-member task force to conduct the House’s own inquiry into the incident. Seven Republicans and six Democrats will sit on the force, leaders said., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/trump-rnc-fight-1024×591.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Rachel Schilke,

President Joe Biden finally heeded public advice from nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers and donors’ private wishes by suspending his reelection campaign on Sunday, the end of a monthlong saga that had many holding their breath and shaking their heads.

Biden stayed in the race even after months of signs showing his physical fitness and mental faculties were in decline, causing many Democrats to beg him to pass the torch on to a new candidate ever since the June 27 presidential debate.

The president endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, his running mate and stated successor, in his campaign suspension statement on Sunday.

With a few weeks until the Democratic National Convention, eyes will be on the Democrats as they scramble to either rally enough support for Harris or find a new nominee whom they think can defeat GOP presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump in November.

June 27: Presidential debate confirms Democrats’ worse fears

For months, Joe Biden had dismissed claims that he was showing signs of declining capabilities. However, his presidency was encumbered already by several gaffes: mistaking lawmakers, asking for a dead congresswoman, falling down stairs and off bikes, relying on teleprompters at events, and other things that had Republicans blasting him as an old, senile man and Democrats cringing.

Then, the president wanted early debates that would give him time to recover if he faltered or made mistakes. He taunted Trump, arguing that the former president “lost two debates in 2020” and said he wanted a debate platform with no interruptions, no live studio audience, and no conservative moderators.

However, the debate was a disaster for both Biden and the Democrats who had long dismissed worries that, at 81, he is too old to serve another term as president. Many lawmakers acknowledged Biden did poorly in the debate but resisted calls for a new nominee, arguing that it was “one bad night” against a decadeslong record of political service and four years of a strong administration.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who was instrumental in the weeks leading up to Biden’s decision to drop out, noted the day after the debate that Biden was prepared to admit his performance “wasn’t great” but that from “a values standpoint, he far outshone” Trump on the stage. 

“Let’s be really clear. I think what we had last night was an issue of maybe style and substance. But on the substance, the president articulated his message very clearly,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA).

“We’ve both had bad days. We’ve both had bad nights. One night is not who a person is,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), a member of leadership.

July 2: Lloyd Doggett opens floodgates in calling Biden to step down

Almost a week after the debate, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first House Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the race. He cited the debate performance and commended the president’s work over the last four years, arguing the incumbent helped to rebuild the country after the COVID-19 pandemic and the “years of Trump wreckage.” 

However, Doggett acknowledged what Biden and his inner circle had failed for weeks to note: the president’s polling numbers were slipping, and Biden was losing steam in key battleground states that were already going to produce narrow margins for either candidate.

For Biden’s part, he insisted he could still win the election as the White House sought to turn the page on the debate with a scheduled all-access press conference between Biden and reporters. On the evening of July 2, Biden tried to ease people’s concerns while speaking to a campaign crowd.

“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate,” Biden told donors while speaking without a teleprompter. “I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep onstage.”

These explanations confused many, as he took a five-day trip to the G7 conference in Italy and to campaign in Los Angeles that ended June 16. Biden then spent six days before the June 27 debate holed up at Camp David, where his rehearsals reportedly never started before 11 a.m. and he had time for afternoon naps.

July 3: Trump gains 6-point national lead over Biden

What Democrats had feared for months came to pass on July 3: Trump had a 6-point lead nationwide following the June 27 debate.

The poll found 74% of voters said they believed Biden is too old to stay in the White House, a number that was up 5 percentage points since the debate. Even among Democrats, concerns about Biden’s age had increased by 8 percentage points in the days following the debate to 59%.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics also moved Minnesota and Michigan toward Trump, placing the blame solely on Biden’s debate performance. Minnesota moved from “likely Democratic” to “leans Democratic,” while Michigan was moved from “leans Democratic” to a “toss-up.”

Polling did not dissuade the Biden-Harris ticket. On July 3, the president and vice president dialed into an all-campaign call and asserted he was here to stay as the nominee. Biden also had events planned throughout the Fourth of July holiday in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to meet with voters.

Meanwhile, allies, such as Pelosi and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), called on Biden to do more
“no-holds-barred” interviews with “serious journalists” to show that he could operate swiftly without guided direction in the form of scripted speeches and teleprompters.

Democratic governors from various states also attended a meeting at the White House on July 3 and many reaffirmed they were all firmly behind Biden. The meeting also revealed that Biden had been examined by doctors in the days following the debate for a cold, for which the White House suffered some scrutiny.

July 4-7: Campaign grasps at straws as more Democrats call on Biden to withdraw

In the days after Doggett’s call for Biden to step aside, more Democrats echoed the calls for the president to suspend his campaign and allow the party to pick a new nominee.

Reports began circulating that top Democratic donors were creating a political fund for a possible Biden replacement. Wealthy donor Abigail Disney pledged to withdraw all Democratic contributions until the president stepped aside and there was a new nominee. George Clooney shocked Bidenworld days later by calling on the president to withdraw and noted several interactions that had led Clooney to believe Biden was not fit for another term.

Visitor logs also showed that a top Parkinson’s disease specialist visited the White House 10 times since 2022, another piece of news that put the White House on defense.

Still, the campaign grasped at straws to try and return to business as normal. The campaign announced a $50 million ad buy on July 5 and held campaign events in Madison, Wisconsin. That same day, the first clip of Biden’s sit-down interview with ABC News dropped, in which the president admitted his performance was a “bad episode.” He also said he would not commit to a cognitive test, which has been pushed by some Republicans over the last many months.

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) became the first House Democrat in a competitive state to call on Biden to step aside the day after his ABC News interview aired. Later that day, it was revealed that the Biden campaign fed questions to hosts for interviews with the president — another strike against Biden that deepened Democrats’ concerns.

July 8: Biden tells Democrats comments on his candidacy need to end

In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden told his colleagues he would be the nominee and asked them to end talk of ditching him as their presidential candidate.

“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “It’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

“We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election,” he said. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a united party, and defeat Donald Trump.”

July 9-11: Eyes on Biden at NATO summit as House Democrats caucus

Many considered the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., to be Biden’s last chance to show donors and lawmakers that he had the strength and ability to run a successful campaign. Only a handful of Democrats, at that point, had called on Biden to withdraw from the race.

House Democrats met on July 9 to discuss whether keeping Biden as the nominee was the best path forward. Many left that conversation feeling like the caucus was united behind Biden, while others emerged from the meeting feeling less unified than ever. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) told reporters the party hadn’t made a decision and the conference isn’t “even in the same book.”

On July 11, Biden accidentally called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin.” Later that day, he fielded several questions from reporters asking how he felt about Democrats calling on him to step aside, while others asked him why he thinks he is the best person to defeat Trump.

He made Democrats shake their heads when he called Harris “Vice President Trump.”

“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump [Harris] to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president. So, let’s start there. Number one,” according to a White House remarks readout. “The fact is that — the consideration is that I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once, and I will beat him again.”

Democrats were under the microscope during the week of the NATO summit. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) dismissed concerns that Biden was a liability to down-ballot Democrats — even as more and more lawmakers called on the president to pass the torch.

July 16-18: Democrats push back against virtual roll call for Biden

Congressional Democrats, who were frustrated that the DNC wanted to make Biden the shoo-in nominee through the use of an early virtual roll call, began circulating a letter pushing back against the idea.

At the time of the letter, 20 Democrats had called on Biden to withdraw from the race. In the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, several of those lawmakers said they would not change their position on Biden’s candidacy.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) joined their Democratic colleagues in calling on Biden to withdraw from the race. Democrats eventually halted their letter arguing against the virtual roll call after the DNC told committee members the roll call would not happen until August.

A letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-NY) shocked many in Bidenworld after it was revealed he pleaded with Biden to hear out his Democratic supporters and colleagues about whether to suspend his reelection bid, arguing that there is “no shame in taking a well-deserved bow.”

July 19-20: Floodgates open and Harris is floated as replacement

On July 19, 13 Democrats came out and called on Biden to step aside as the nominee, bringing the total to 35 congressional Democrats as of that day. Notable lawmakers calling on Biden to withdraw were Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Pelosi ally Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) became the 36th Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw on July 20.

Only a few, including Takano and Reps. Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Kathy Castor (D-FL), called on Biden to pass the torch to Harris.

July 21: Biden passes torch to Harris

Biden announced on Sunday that he would be suspending his campaign for reelection, a relief for many Democrats but a source of anger for others.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a letter. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”

In a later post, he endorsed Harris as his successor, and several senators and House members quickly headed to X to announce they would endorse her as well.

Some, such as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), railed at their own party for what they claimed was forcing Biden off the ticket.

“Well I hope the geniuses that pushed the most consequential President of our lifetime out, have a plan,” Crockett wrote Sunday. “WHO in the hell couldn’t sell the MF Accomplishments & win over a 34 time convicted Felon who isn’t even allowed to operate businesses in the state of NY (and therefore should automatically be disallowed from say running the country) & his ENTIRE team IS project 2025?! Joe wasn’t the problem… dems were.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“I know one thing, I will only work for @KamalaHarris! If it’s anyone OTHER than her, enjoy campaign season… I hope all of my disenchanted colleagues are able to find some walking shoes and get to work because I WILL NOT! FULL [STOP]” Crockett added.

“People pushed out an honorable man, loving father and a great president before an absolute sleazeball like Menendez. Congratulations,” Fetterman said in a statement.

2024-07-21 22:33:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3091865%2Ftimeline-biden-bowing-out-campaign-debate-departure%2F?w=600&h=450, President Joe Biden finally heeded public advice from nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers and donors’ private wishes by suspending his reelection campaign on Sunday, the end of a monthlong saga that had many holding their breath and shaking their heads. Biden stayed in the race even after months of signs showing his physical fitness and mental,

President Joe Biden finally heeded public advice from nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers and donors’ private wishes by suspending his reelection campaign on Sunday, the end of a monthlong saga that had many holding their breath and shaking their heads.

Biden stayed in the race even after months of signs showing his physical fitness and mental faculties were in decline, causing many Democrats to beg him to pass the torch on to a new candidate ever since the June 27 presidential debate.

The president endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, his running mate and stated successor, in his campaign suspension statement on Sunday.

With a few weeks until the Democratic National Convention, eyes will be on the Democrats as they scramble to either rally enough support for Harris or find a new nominee whom they think can defeat GOP presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump in November.

June 27: Presidential debate confirms Democrats’ worse fears

For months, Joe Biden had dismissed claims that he was showing signs of declining capabilities. However, his presidency was encumbered already by several gaffes: mistaking lawmakers, asking for a dead congresswoman, falling down stairs and off bikes, relying on teleprompters at events, and other things that had Republicans blasting him as an old, senile man and Democrats cringing.

Then, the president wanted early debates that would give him time to recover if he faltered or made mistakes. He taunted Trump, arguing that the former president “lost two debates in 2020” and said he wanted a debate platform with no interruptions, no live studio audience, and no conservative moderators.

However, the debate was a disaster for both Biden and the Democrats who had long dismissed worries that, at 81, he is too old to serve another term as president. Many lawmakers acknowledged Biden did poorly in the debate but resisted calls for a new nominee, arguing that it was “one bad night” against a decadeslong record of political service and four years of a strong administration.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who was instrumental in the weeks leading up to Biden’s decision to drop out, noted the day after the debate that Biden was prepared to admit his performance “wasn’t great” but that from “a values standpoint, he far outshone” Trump on the stage. 

“Let’s be really clear. I think what we had last night was an issue of maybe style and substance. But on the substance, the president articulated his message very clearly,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA).

“We’ve both had bad days. We’ve both had bad nights. One night is not who a person is,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), a member of leadership.

July 2: Lloyd Doggett opens floodgates in calling Biden to step down

Almost a week after the debate, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first House Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the race. He cited the debate performance and commended the president’s work over the last four years, arguing the incumbent helped to rebuild the country after the COVID-19 pandemic and the “years of Trump wreckage.” 

However, Doggett acknowledged what Biden and his inner circle had failed for weeks to note: the president’s polling numbers were slipping, and Biden was losing steam in key battleground states that were already going to produce narrow margins for either candidate.

For Biden’s part, he insisted he could still win the election as the White House sought to turn the page on the debate with a scheduled all-access press conference between Biden and reporters. On the evening of July 2, Biden tried to ease people’s concerns while speaking to a campaign crowd.

“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate,” Biden told donors while speaking without a teleprompter. “I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep onstage.”

These explanations confused many, as he took a five-day trip to the G7 conference in Italy and to campaign in Los Angeles that ended June 16. Biden then spent six days before the June 27 debate holed up at Camp David, where his rehearsals reportedly never started before 11 a.m. and he had time for afternoon naps.

July 3: Trump gains 6-point national lead over Biden

What Democrats had feared for months came to pass on July 3: Trump had a 6-point lead nationwide following the June 27 debate.

The poll found 74% of voters said they believed Biden is too old to stay in the White House, a number that was up 5 percentage points since the debate. Even among Democrats, concerns about Biden’s age had increased by 8 percentage points in the days following the debate to 59%.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics also moved Minnesota and Michigan toward Trump, placing the blame solely on Biden’s debate performance. Minnesota moved from “likely Democratic” to “leans Democratic,” while Michigan was moved from “leans Democratic” to a “toss-up.”

Polling did not dissuade the Biden-Harris ticket. On July 3, the president and vice president dialed into an all-campaign call and asserted he was here to stay as the nominee. Biden also had events planned throughout the Fourth of July holiday in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to meet with voters.

Meanwhile, allies, such as Pelosi and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), called on Biden to do more
“no-holds-barred” interviews with “serious journalists” to show that he could operate swiftly without guided direction in the form of scripted speeches and teleprompters.

Democratic governors from various states also attended a meeting at the White House on July 3 and many reaffirmed they were all firmly behind Biden. The meeting also revealed that Biden had been examined by doctors in the days following the debate for a cold, for which the White House suffered some scrutiny.

July 4-7: Campaign grasps at straws as more Democrats call on Biden to withdraw

In the days after Doggett’s call for Biden to step aside, more Democrats echoed the calls for the president to suspend his campaign and allow the party to pick a new nominee.

Reports began circulating that top Democratic donors were creating a political fund for a possible Biden replacement. Wealthy donor Abigail Disney pledged to withdraw all Democratic contributions until the president stepped aside and there was a new nominee. George Clooney shocked Bidenworld days later by calling on the president to withdraw and noted several interactions that had led Clooney to believe Biden was not fit for another term.

Visitor logs also showed that a top Parkinson’s disease specialist visited the White House 10 times since 2022, another piece of news that put the White House on defense.

Still, the campaign grasped at straws to try and return to business as normal. The campaign announced a $50 million ad buy on July 5 and held campaign events in Madison, Wisconsin. That same day, the first clip of Biden’s sit-down interview with ABC News dropped, in which the president admitted his performance was a “bad episode.” He also said he would not commit to a cognitive test, which has been pushed by some Republicans over the last many months.

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) became the first House Democrat in a competitive state to call on Biden to step aside the day after his ABC News interview aired. Later that day, it was revealed that the Biden campaign fed questions to hosts for interviews with the president — another strike against Biden that deepened Democrats’ concerns.

July 8: Biden tells Democrats comments on his candidacy need to end

In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden told his colleagues he would be the nominee and asked them to end talk of ditching him as their presidential candidate.

“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “It’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

“We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election,” he said. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a united party, and defeat Donald Trump.”

July 9-11: Eyes on Biden at NATO summit as House Democrats caucus

Many considered the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., to be Biden’s last chance to show donors and lawmakers that he had the strength and ability to run a successful campaign. Only a handful of Democrats, at that point, had called on Biden to withdraw from the race.

House Democrats met on July 9 to discuss whether keeping Biden as the nominee was the best path forward. Many left that conversation feeling like the caucus was united behind Biden, while others emerged from the meeting feeling less unified than ever. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) told reporters the party hadn’t made a decision and the conference isn’t “even in the same book.”

On July 11, Biden accidentally called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin.” Later that day, he fielded several questions from reporters asking how he felt about Democrats calling on him to step aside, while others asked him why he thinks he is the best person to defeat Trump.

He made Democrats shake their heads when he called Harris “Vice President Trump.”

“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump [Harris] to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president. So, let’s start there. Number one,” according to a White House remarks readout. “The fact is that — the consideration is that I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once, and I will beat him again.”

Democrats were under the microscope during the week of the NATO summit. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) dismissed concerns that Biden was a liability to down-ballot Democrats — even as more and more lawmakers called on the president to pass the torch.

July 16-18: Democrats push back against virtual roll call for Biden

Congressional Democrats, who were frustrated that the DNC wanted to make Biden the shoo-in nominee through the use of an early virtual roll call, began circulating a letter pushing back against the idea.

At the time of the letter, 20 Democrats had called on Biden to withdraw from the race. In the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, several of those lawmakers said they would not change their position on Biden’s candidacy.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) joined their Democratic colleagues in calling on Biden to withdraw from the race. Democrats eventually halted their letter arguing against the virtual roll call after the DNC told committee members the roll call would not happen until August.

A letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-NY) shocked many in Bidenworld after it was revealed he pleaded with Biden to hear out his Democratic supporters and colleagues about whether to suspend his reelection bid, arguing that there is “no shame in taking a well-deserved bow.”

July 19-20: Floodgates open and Harris is floated as replacement

On July 19, 13 Democrats came out and called on Biden to step aside as the nominee, bringing the total to 35 congressional Democrats as of that day. Notable lawmakers calling on Biden to withdraw were Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Pelosi ally Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) became the 36th Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw on July 20.

Only a few, including Takano and Reps. Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Kathy Castor (D-FL), called on Biden to pass the torch to Harris.

July 21: Biden passes torch to Harris

Biden announced on Sunday that he would be suspending his campaign for reelection, a relief for many Democrats but a source of anger for others.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a letter. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”

In a later post, he endorsed Harris as his successor, and several senators and House members quickly headed to X to announce they would endorse her as well.

Some, such as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), railed at their own party for what they claimed was forcing Biden off the ticket.

“Well I hope the geniuses that pushed the most consequential President of our lifetime out, have a plan,” Crockett wrote Sunday. “WHO in the hell couldn’t sell the MF Accomplishments & win over a 34 time convicted Felon who isn’t even allowed to operate businesses in the state of NY (and therefore should automatically be disallowed from say running the country) & his ENTIRE team IS project 2025?! Joe wasn’t the problem… dems were.”

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“I know one thing, I will only work for @KamalaHarris! If it’s anyone OTHER than her, enjoy campaign season… I hope all of my disenchanted colleagues are able to find some walking shoes and get to work because I WILL NOT! FULL [STOP]” Crockett added.

“People pushed out an honorable man, loving father and a great president before an absolute sleazeball like Menendez. Congratulations,” Fetterman said in a statement.

, President Joe Biden finally heeded public advice from nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers and donors’ private wishes by suspending his reelection campaign on Sunday, the end of a monthlong saga that had many holding their breath and shaking their heads. Biden stayed in the race even after months of signs showing his physical fitness and mental faculties were in decline, causing many Democrats to beg him to pass the torch on to a new candidate ever since the June 27 presidential debate. The president endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, his running mate and stated successor, in his campaign suspension statement on Sunday. With a few weeks until the Democratic National Convention, eyes will be on the Democrats as they scramble to either rally enough support for Harris or find a new nominee whom they think can defeat GOP presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump in November. June 27: Presidential debate confirms Democrats’ worse fears For months, Joe Biden had dismissed claims that he was showing signs of declining capabilities. However, his presidency was encumbered already by several gaffes: mistaking lawmakers, asking for a dead congresswoman, falling down stairs and off bikes, relying on teleprompters at events, and other things that had Republicans blasting him as an old, senile man and Democrats cringing. Then, the president wanted early debates that would give him time to recover if he faltered or made mistakes. He taunted Trump, arguing that the former president “lost two debates in 2020” and said he wanted a debate platform with no interruptions, no live studio audience, and no conservative moderators. However, the debate was a disaster for both Biden and the Democrats who had long dismissed worries that, at 81, he is too old to serve another term as president. Many lawmakers acknowledged Biden did poorly in the debate but resisted calls for a new nominee, arguing that it was “one bad night” against a decadeslong record of political service and four years of a strong administration. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who was instrumental in the weeks leading up to Biden’s decision to drop out, noted the day after the debate that Biden was prepared to admit his performance “wasn’t great” but that from “a values standpoint, he far outshone” Trump on the stage.  “Let’s be really clear. I think what we had last night was an issue of maybe style and substance. But on the substance, the president articulated his message very clearly,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). “We’ve both had bad days. We’ve both had bad nights. One night is not who a person is,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), a member of leadership. July 2: Lloyd Doggett opens floodgates in calling Biden to step down Almost a week after the debate, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first House Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the race. He cited the debate performance and commended the president’s work over the last four years, arguing the incumbent helped to rebuild the country after the COVID-19 pandemic and the “years of Trump wreckage.”  However, Doggett acknowledged what Biden and his inner circle had failed for weeks to note: the president’s polling numbers were slipping, and Biden was losing steam in key battleground states that were already going to produce narrow margins for either candidate. For Biden’s part, he insisted he could still win the election as the White House sought to turn the page on the debate with a scheduled all-access press conference between Biden and reporters. On the evening of July 2, Biden tried to ease people’s concerns while speaking to a campaign crowd. “I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate,” Biden told donors while speaking without a teleprompter. “I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep onstage.” These explanations confused many, as he took a five-day trip to the G7 conference in Italy and to campaign in Los Angeles that ended June 16. Biden then spent six days before the June 27 debate holed up at Camp David, where his rehearsals reportedly never started before 11 a.m. and he had time for afternoon naps. July 3: Trump gains 6-point national lead over Biden What Democrats had feared for months came to pass on July 3: Trump had a 6-point lead nationwide following the June 27 debate. The poll found 74% of voters said they believed Biden is too old to stay in the White House, a number that was up 5 percentage points since the debate. Even among Democrats, concerns about Biden’s age had increased by 8 percentage points in the days following the debate to 59%. Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics also moved Minnesota and Michigan toward Trump, placing the blame solely on Biden’s debate performance. Minnesota moved from “likely Democratic” to “leans Democratic,” while Michigan was moved from “leans Democratic” to a “toss-up.” Polling did not dissuade the Biden-Harris ticket. On July 3, the president and vice president dialed into an all-campaign call and asserted he was here to stay as the nominee. Biden also had events planned throughout the Fourth of July holiday in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to meet with voters. Meanwhile, allies, such as Pelosi and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), called on Biden to do more “no-holds-barred” interviews with “serious journalists” to show that he could operate swiftly without guided direction in the form of scripted speeches and teleprompters. Democratic governors from various states also attended a meeting at the White House on July 3 and many reaffirmed they were all firmly behind Biden. The meeting also revealed that Biden had been examined by doctors in the days following the debate for a cold, for which the White House suffered some scrutiny. July 4-7: Campaign grasps at straws as more Democrats call on Biden to withdraw In the days after Doggett’s call for Biden to step aside, more Democrats echoed the calls for the president to suspend his campaign and allow the party to pick a new nominee. Reports began circulating that top Democratic donors were creating a political fund for a possible Biden replacement. Wealthy donor Abigail Disney pledged to withdraw all Democratic contributions until the president stepped aside and there was a new nominee. George Clooney shocked Bidenworld days later by calling on the president to withdraw and noted several interactions that had led Clooney to believe Biden was not fit for another term. Visitor logs also showed that a top Parkinson’s disease specialist visited the White House 10 times since 2022, another piece of news that put the White House on defense. Still, the campaign grasped at straws to try and return to business as normal. The campaign announced a $50 million ad buy on July 5 and held campaign events in Madison, Wisconsin. That same day, the first clip of Biden’s sit-down interview with ABC News dropped, in which the president admitted his performance was a “bad episode.” He also said he would not commit to a cognitive test, which has been pushed by some Republicans over the last many months. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) became the first House Democrat in a competitive state to call on Biden to step aside the day after his ABC News interview aired. Later that day, it was revealed that the Biden campaign fed questions to hosts for interviews with the president — another strike against Biden that deepened Democrats’ concerns. July 8: Biden tells Democrats comments on his candidacy need to end In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden told his colleagues he would be the nominee and asked them to end talk of ditching him as their presidential candidate. “The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “It’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.” “We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election,” he said. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a united party, and defeat Donald Trump.” July 9-11: Eyes on Biden at NATO summit as House Democrats caucus Many considered the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., to be Biden’s last chance to show donors and lawmakers that he had the strength and ability to run a successful campaign. Only a handful of Democrats, at that point, had called on Biden to withdraw from the race. House Democrats met on July 9 to discuss whether keeping Biden as the nominee was the best path forward. Many left that conversation feeling like the caucus was united behind Biden, while others emerged from the meeting feeling less unified than ever. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) told reporters the party hadn’t made a decision and the conference isn’t “even in the same book.” On July 11, Biden accidentally called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin.” Later that day, he fielded several questions from reporters asking how he felt about Democrats calling on him to step aside, while others asked him why he thinks he is the best person to defeat Trump. He made Democrats shake their heads when he called Harris “Vice President Trump.” “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump [Harris] to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president. So, let’s start there. Number one,” according to a White House remarks readout. “The fact is that — the consideration is that I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once, and I will beat him again.” Democrats were under the microscope during the week of the NATO summit. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) dismissed concerns that Biden was a liability to down-ballot Democrats — even as more and more lawmakers called on the president to pass the torch. July 16-18: Democrats push back against virtual roll call for Biden Congressional Democrats, who were frustrated that the DNC wanted to make Biden the shoo-in nominee through the use of an early virtual roll call, began circulating a letter pushing back against the idea. At the time of the letter, 20 Democrats had called on Biden to withdraw from the race. In the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, several of those lawmakers said they would not change their position on Biden’s candidacy. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) joined their Democratic colleagues in calling on Biden to withdraw from the race. Democrats eventually halted their letter arguing against the virtual roll call after the DNC told committee members the roll call would not happen until August. A letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-NY) shocked many in Bidenworld after it was revealed he pleaded with Biden to hear out his Democratic supporters and colleagues about whether to suspend his reelection bid, arguing that there is “no shame in taking a well-deserved bow.” July 19-20: Floodgates open and Harris is floated as replacement On July 19, 13 Democrats came out and called on Biden to step aside as the nominee, bringing the total to 35 congressional Democrats as of that day. Notable lawmakers calling on Biden to withdraw were Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Pelosi ally Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) became the 36th Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw on July 20. Only a few, including Takano and Reps. Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Kathy Castor (D-FL), called on Biden to pass the torch to Harris. July 21: Biden passes torch to Harris Biden announced on Sunday that he would be suspending his campaign for reelection, a relief for many Democrats but a source of anger for others. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a letter. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.” In a later post, he endorsed Harris as his successor, and several senators and House members quickly headed to X to announce they would endorse her as well. Some, such as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), railed at their own party for what they claimed was forcing Biden off the ticket. “Well I hope the geniuses that pushed the most consequential President of our lifetime out, have a plan,” Crockett wrote Sunday. “WHO in the hell couldn’t sell the MF Accomplishments & win over a 34 time convicted Felon who isn’t even allowed to operate businesses in the state of NY (and therefore should automatically be disallowed from say running the country) & his ENTIRE team IS project 2025?! Joe wasn’t the problem… dems were.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “I know one thing, I will only work for @KamalaHarris! If it’s anyone OTHER than her, enjoy campaign season… I hope all of my disenchanted colleagues are able to find some walking shoes and get to work because I WILL NOT! FULL [STOP]” Crockett added. “People pushed out an honorable man, loving father and a great president before an absolute sleazeball like Menendez. Congratulations,” Fetterman said in a statement., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Joe-Biden-out-12.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Rachel Schilke,

Five House Democrats asked President Joe Biden to suspend his reelection campaign on Friday, with all arguing that Biden cannot win due to the light shed on “senior moments” instead of his capabilities and accomplishments.

“If the upcoming election is a referendum on past performance, future promises and character, I have every confidence Biden would win,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) wrote in an op-ed to the Chicago Tribune. “But politics, like life, isn’t fair. And as long as this election is instead litigated over which candidate is more likely to be held accountable for public gaffes and ‘senior moments,’ I believe that Biden is not only going to lose but is also uniquely incapable of shifting that conversation.”

Shortly after Casten’s op-ed, four other Democrats — Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), and Mark Pocan (D-WI) — also called on Biden to pass the torch in a joint statement. They said they appreciated Biden’s work over the last four years and in the decades spent in other political offices, but defeating former President Donald Trump is a top priority.

“At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” the lawmakers said.

“We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House,” the lawmakers continued.

Casten, Garcia, Huffman, Pocan, and Veasey’s statements make 26 congressional Democrats who are calling on Biden to drop out of the presidential contest. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) called on Biden to withdraw on Thursday.

Veasey’s decision to ask Biden to pass the torch is a surprise considering he is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, a group of lawmakers that have been a strong ally to the president over the years. Biden spoke to the caucus last week, with many stating that their coalition was standing behind Biden for his reelection campaign.

Biden and his campaign are adamant that the president is not standing aside and will be the Democratic nominee, but there are reports that he is more receptive to the idea of allowing a new candidate to step forward. The campaign has denied this.

All five lawmakers spoke to Biden’s legacy in their statements, with Casten writing that the president has earned a departure with “dignity and decency.” His comments mirror those written by his colleagues in their own messages to the president.

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“It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” Casten said. “To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward.”

“It breaks my heart to say it, but Biden is no longer up for that job,” he added.

Congressional Democrats appear to still be moving full steam ahead with their calls for President Joe Biden to stand aside and allow a new leader to step up.

While most attention has been fixated on former President Donald Trump getting shot at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, followed by his selection of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate on Monday, calls from Democrats for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race appeared to stall.

The pause in calls for Biden to exit the race was likely a reprieve for the president, who has been under scrutiny since his poor debate performance on June 27.

However, of the 19 Democrats who had previously called for Biden to step aside, it appears that none of them are looking to walk back their desire for a new nominee. Spokespeople for Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), the last vulnerable New York Democrat, and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) told the Washington Examiner that their position on Biden’s candidacy has not changed.

Four days since the latest Democrat, Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA), called on Biden to withdraw, the president’s political future was once again thrust under a microscope on Tuesday when news broke that congressional Democrats are circulating a letter that calls on the Democratic National Committee not to conduct a virtual roll call to nominate Biden weeks ahead of the convention.

“Proceeding with the ‘virtual roll call’ in the absence of a valid legal rationale will be rightly perceived as a purely political maneuver, which we believe would be counterproductive and undermine party unity and cohesion,” the letter stated. “Moreover, it would contradict what President Biden himself has repeatedly said to members of Congress in recent days, telling us that anyone who wants to challenge his nomination should do so ‘at the convention.’”

A spokesperson for Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), who represents a swing district marked a “toss-up” for the 2024 election, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that she is planning to sign on to the letter.

Rep. Jared Huffman’s (D-CA) office told the Washington Examiner that the letter has not been sent yet and is still circulating. The congressman is not leading it, according to his office.

”Rep. Huffman and other members are very concerned with this extraordinary attempt to speed up the nomination and do not think brute force is the way to achieve unity and enthusiasm,” a spokesperson for Huffman said.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), who was the first member to call on Biden to pass the torch, reaffirmed his call for Biden to step down as presumptive nominee on Wednesday morning and urged the DNC to nominate the presidential ticket in “regular order.”

“My call for President Biden to step aside remains even more urgent,” Doggett said. “Our decision must consider the reality of steadily, worsening poll numbers, not just more wishful thinking. The risk of Trump tyranny is so great that we must put forward our strongest nominee.

“Fast-forwarding the nomination process is no way to convince the many unconvinced voters in the growing number of battleground states,” Doggett continued. “Those so eager to overly protect President Biden ignore his own words inviting anyone questioning his nomination to do so at the Convention.  Short-circuiting the normal Convention process jeopardizes the White House, Senate and House. With his gang controlling all branches of government, America is at serious risk of a totally-unleashed Trump.  After accomplishing so much for our country, this should not be the legacy for which Joe Biden is remembered.”

A virtual roll call would mean Biden would only need to suffer through a few more weeks of criticism before he is named the Democratic nominee for president. Several of the 19 Democrats who said they would like to see Biden pass the torch also said if he is selected as the nominee, they would support him.

Many Democrats have argued that Biden is not a strong enough candidate to defeat the former president in the 2024 election. Battleground House Democrats who are concerned a ticket with Biden at the top will backfire on down-ballot races are reportedly confiding in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), according to Politico.

Pelosi set off a storm last week when she said it was Biden’s decision on whether to stay in the race, insinuating that despite the president’s many remarks that he would see the campaign through, his choice was not yet finalized.

Biden has remained adamant that he plans to stay in the race and that despite concerns about his mental acuity, he is up to the task of serving for a second term if reelected.

During a Monday night interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, Biden argued that his mental acuity has been “pretty damn good” and that he alone was making the decision to stay in the race.

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In the days after the shooting, Republicans have hailed Trump as a hero, propping up support for him even more while, comparatively, Biden is losing steam among his supporters.

“It’s impossible to be sure if Trump is stronger electorally after last weekend and the RNC, but he sure as hell isn’t weaker,” a Democratic aide told the Washington Examiner.

Minnesota Republicans say chaos within the Democratic Party over the fate of President Joe Biden is pushing the historically blue state closer to the GOP in time for the Republican National Convention.

In the weeks following Biden’s poor debate performance, several swing-state seats and battleground states have leaned more in favor of Republicans and former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a rematch of the 2020 election. Sabato’s Crystal Ball found on July 3 that Minnesota and Michigan Electoral College ratings shifted, the second time in less than a month that the outlet downgraded Democrats.

In Minnesota, the race has shifted from likely Democratic to lean Democratic. The Gopher State has been won by Democrats for over 50 years, with Democrats regarding it low on their list of priorities when it comes to campaigning. However, this year, with Democrats in disarray and Republicans finally united behind Trump, Minnesota is more in play than it has been in years.

Aaron Farris, RNC delegate for Minnesota and GOP chairman of the state’s 1st Congressional District, told the Washington Examiner that a large portion of the shift can be attributed to the Democrats telling “big lies” about Biden’s mental state.

“This isn’t an issue that just popped up on the debate night in the last week of June,” Farris said regarding Biden. “This has been a problem for months and years. The Democrats have told Americans for, like I said, years, ‘Don’t believe your lying eyes. Don’t believe what your eyes are showing you. Everything’s fine. There’s no fire.’ And clearly, we know that has not been the case.”

He also pointed to the Democratic agenda in the Minnesota legislature regarding education, combined with national Democrats’ approach to inflation and border security, as reasons why the state could be trending red.

“I think those are part of the reasons Minnesota is coming into play this year, just simply because of the state of Minnesota and the country right now,” Farris said. “It’s tough, and people recognize that.”

Outside of Washington, D.C., Minnesota holds the longest Democratic streak in the country, last voting Republican for Richard Nixon in 1972. Since 1976, Democrats have won 11 straight presidential elections. But in 2016, Democrats were surprised when Hillary Clinton won by a razor-thin margin: 1.5% over Trump. Biden went on to more easily carry the state by 7 percentage points over Trump in 2020.

Minnesota Republican strategist Amy Koch told the Washington Examiner that for the last few decades, Republicans held a mindset of “Why are you bothering?” with trying to flip the state. However, when Trump barely lost to Clinton in 2016, GOP pundits realized a Republican win was in their grasp if they worked hard for it.

“If Trump had picked those folks up, and I think he’s said rightfully over and over, that he feels like if he’d have spent more time in Minnesota, he would have won Minnesota,” Koch said, referring to the votes that went to other third-party candidates in the state. “I agree with him.”

She acknowledged that Koch said Minnesota goes through “snapbacks.” It wasn’t until 2010 that Republicans were turning strongholds of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota’s Democratic Party. However, in the years after, Democrats were able to gain a trifecta with the state legislature and governor’s mansion.

“While I think [Minnesota’s] in play, it’s not an easy play for them,” Koch said. “It’s not going to be as easy as 2016.”

However, the spirit of the 2016 election is alive and well in Minnesota, according to former Minnesota state Rep. Kelly Fenton and current RNC delegate. She said what gives her confidence for cross-country GOP victories is the way the Republican Party is rallying behind the former president.

“I’ve been on the ballot with Trump and I won, and I’ve been on the ballot with Trump, and I lost,” Fenton told the Washington Examiner. 

“What I’m seeing right now in 2024 is 2016 presidential energy, and that gives me great hope because I know how well Republicans did with that type of energy,” Fenton added. “There’s a bunch of factors in play. You’ve got people who are concerned about Biden. You have the Democrat Party becoming more and more fractured. Some want Biden to step down. Others don’t.”

At the same time, Fenton said, “You see a very different campaign from Trump.”

“You see his numbers getting better and better, and the unity of the people, I think, is significant on what Nikki Haley did … urging all of her supporters to get behind Trump,” Fenton said. “So I just think that the energy, to me, in 2024 feels very similar in 2016, and we made great strides as Republicans in 2016 in the state of Minnesota. … That gives me great hope for taking back Minnesota.”

Fenton began as an RNC delegate for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign in March. Haley released her delegates on Tuesday, encouraging her supporters to vote for Trump at the convention.

AK Kamara, RNC national committeeman-elect for Minnesota and an RNC delegate, told the Washington Examiner that Haley releasing her delegates is another way to show how the Republican and Democratic parties differ.

“It’s just another … step in the right direction of unity while the Democrats are in complete disarray and disunity,” Kamara said.

Fenton said Haley’s move to release the delegates “exudes the move of a leader.”

Democratic pundits and strategists, as well as some vulnerable Democrats, have expressed concerns over the last two weeks that Biden is a liability for down-ballot candidates. Democrats are working in overdrive to try to take back the House and maintain the Senate and White House, but the slow leak of House Democrats calling on Biden to step down has caused all eyes to be on the president to see how he operates on the campaign trail.

In the case of Minnesota, Koch noted that if they aren’t careful, Biden’s campaign will make the same mistake Clinton made in 2016 by treating the state as a given blue stronghold.

“Hillary severely underperformed Obama in the state of Minnesota, and I think that’s the problem for the Biden campaign: severe underperformance,” the strategist said. “And that kind of thing can really be setbacks in a state like Minnesota.”

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Koch added that the vigor behind electing Biden in 2020 was different than the desire to reelect him now. 

“You know, four years ago, and even in ‘18 and 2022, right, It was all sort of like, against Trump. It wasn’t — 2020 wasn’t about like, ‘Yay Biden,’ but it was like, ‘We must vote against the current president.’ I don’t feel that energy as strongly,” the strategist said.

President Joe Biden appears to be running out the clock ahead of the Democratic National Convention after the dam on his political future bent but didn’t break following House Democratic caucus meetings and calls with frontliners concerned about Biden’s candidacy for November.

Nine House Democrats and one senator, Peter Welch (D-VT), have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race after his poor debate performance and months of gaffes and mishaps. Of the 10, three Democrats spoke out after the caucus meeting in both chambers on Tuesday from which members left divided — some thought there was almost complete unity, while others felt like they still weren’t in sync.

With the convention quickly approaching in a little over two months, Democrats have a short window if they do decide to replace Biden as their nominee. The president has declared he is running in the race numerous times: in a letter to House Democrats on Monday, in private calls and meetings with groups like the Congressional Black Caucus, and at rallies across the country. 

However, comments from leaders and top Democrats about the nomination being “Biden’s decision” are signaling that the panic around Biden’s candidacy is not over. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) unleashed a frenzy on Wednesday after noting that it is the president’s choice whether to stay in the race, leading many to speculate about whether Democrats are accepting the inevitable and taking a hands-off approach or insinuating that Biden’s decision to stay the nominee is not final.

“President Biden is the nominee,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) told reporters on Wednesday. “There is just no light between our caucus and the work we have done with this administration and the work that we will do in the future. As always, this decision is up to the president.”

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) also implied that the president has not made a decision yet despite his repeated confirmations.

“I think we’ve got to do something fast, whether … he decides to run or not. I think tomorrow’s press conference — a lot of people are watching that to see how that turns out,” Titus said to Politico, referring to the White House press briefing where Biden himself will address questions from reporters after dodging similar situations for months.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has told Democrats in recent meetings that he will relay the concerns he is hearing to Biden, according to CNN. This comes after Jeffries met with swing-district members on Wednesday morning and plans to meet with the center-left New Democrat Coalition, per Axios.

Some members are arguing that Biden’s announcement that he is staying in the race doesn’t make it official.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-MA) said to CNN. “I had totally decided to take an Uber to dinner. And then I heard about the gridlock in D.C. because of the NATO traffic. And I redirected to the Metro and it was a really smart decision.”

Waiting in the wings as a likely replacement for Biden is Vice President Kamala Harris. However, in some ways, she serves as an insurance policy for the president to remain on the ticket.

Harris has historically low approval ratings. If she proved to be more popular with voters, it would be easier for Biden to step aside and pass the torch to Harris as the new Democratic leader. However, the party is not unified over the idea that Harris can win, with certain polling suggesting she could be a weaker candidate than Biden.

Trump is taking note of the situation as well.

“You have to give him credit for one brilliant decision: picking Kamala Harris as his VP was the greatest insurance policy of all time. If Joe had picked someone even halfway competent, they would have bounced him from office years ago,” Trump said at his rally in Florida on Tuesday night.

Another possibility raised by GOP members is that a vote for Biden is also a vote for Harris because he could remain the nominee but then step down halfway through the term to allow the vice president to ascend to the White House.

However, many Democrats are not entertaining the idea that there are concerns over Harris’s viability as a candidate.

“She’s done a very good job as vice president, and I don’t think there’s any reason to talk about her,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) said.

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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) has blasted Democrats for sounding the alarm on Biden’s ability to be president now despite him being the “same Joe Biden” Republicans have seen for some time now. He said in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that Democrats’ “back-room” discussions on whether to replace Biden with Harris or another name shows “complete disdain for their own voters.”

“There were a number of Democrats who ran against Joe Biden,” Scalise said. “And Joe Biden was the clear winner on their side: 14 million Democrat voters went to the polls to vote for Joe Biden to be the candidate for president on their side. And right now in Washington, and you know, back rooms up here, smoke-filled rooms, they want to try to throw out the will of the votes of 14 million people and pick somebody else. And I think that’s about as arrogant and elitist as you can get.”

Electoral College ratings for six states have shifted toward Republicans in former President Donald Trump‘s favor as the fate of President Joe Biden’s political future as the Democrats’ nominee remains on shifting sands.

The Cook Political Report shifted three states — Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada — from “toss-up” to “lean Republican” and shifted two other states, Minnesota and New Hampshire, from “likely” to “lean Democrat.” Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District also shifted from “likely” to “lean” Democrat.

“The notion that the presidential [race] is a Toss Up was a stretch even before the debate,” the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman said of the electoral map. “Today, Trump has a clear advantage over Biden and a much more plausible path to 270 Electoral votes.”

The election analyst cites Biden’s poor debate performance on June 27 as a reason for the rating shifts. The president’s lackluster display onstage has called into question whether he is the right presidential candidate to help the party defeat Trump. After a lengthy meeting between House Democrats earlier on Tuesday, the answer is still unclear and there is no consensus.

“Insiders we spoke with over the weekend said they expected a ‘deluge’ of Democratic congressional defections by Monday,” Cook Political Report Editor-in-Chief Amy Walter said in her analysis. “As of Tuesday morning, those desertions have amounted to no more than a trickle. Even so, plenty of nervous down-ballot Democrats and donors are hoping that team Biden, confronted with worsening poll numbers and an aggressively antagonistic press corps, will see the writing on the wall and gracefully announce his exit from the contest. That possibility looks remote as of this writing.

“We can’t wave away the uncertainty of this moment, but we can try to soberly assess where things stand today, and where they are likely to go from here,” Walter continued.

Trump widened his lead over Biden by 6 percentage points nationwide following the first presidential debate of the cycle. In a poll from June 30 to July 2, the former president’s lead narrowed to an average of 4 points across Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

According to Cook Political Report, Trump has over a 3-point lead in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada and Biden has less than a percentage point lead in Wisconsin and Michigan. In Pennsylvania, Trump holds a 0.7-point lead.

Walter noted that given the narrow margins across the electorate, even a 2-point shift has significant implications for the presidential race.

“For example, if Trump were to win the national popular vote by three points, it would be a seven-point improvement from his 2020 showing,” Walter wrote. “In other words, any state or district that Biden carried by eight points or less would be competitive.”

Democratic lawmakers, pundits, and strategists have sounded the alarm over whether Biden is the party’s best path forward to retaking the House, maintaining a majority in the Senate, and keeping the White House. Leaving the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters today, several House Democrats declined to offer any insight into whether the Democratic conference is solidly behind behind.

One member, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD), said there is a time limit on how long disunity within the caucus can last.

“I think it’s gotta wrap up by the convention,” Ivey said. “But, you know, hopefully, we’ll be able to sort of nail this topic down sooner rather than later.”

As Walter noted in her analysis, Democrats were hoping the debate at the end of June would give the party a chance to highlight Trump’s misgivings and Biden’s administrative record. Since then, Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have found a moment of relief as eyes and ears are locked in on Democrats over the state of Biden’s candidacy.

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Some Democrats have argued this rhetoric and calls from colleagues for Biden to step down will only weaken the president and the party further.

“We do need to turn the attention back to Trump,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) said. “And it’s important, I mean, there comes a time where the family conversation has to refocus on winning.”

The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee is postponing its hearing for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to give public testimony on the case he brought against former President Donald Trump.

A source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the hearing, scheduled for Friday, will be rescheduled after the sentencing for Trump’s hush money trial was delayed until Sept. 18. The former president was supposed to be sentenced on July 11 after being found guilty on all 34 counts related to payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Matthew Colangelo, a former top-ranking official in the Biden administration’s Justice Department who left the DOJ to join the team prosecuting Trump, was also set to appear at the hearing with Bragg. No new date has been scheduled for the hearing as of now, but it is likely that the Manhattan district attorney’s testimony will not take place until after Trump’s sentencing.

A jury in May found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election by disguising reimbursements to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer who paid $130,000 to a porn star to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. The former president has denied the affair.

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Republicans have accused Colangelo of having an “obsession” with targeting Trump for political purposes rather than having a sincere concern about crime. Friday’s hearing was set to examine “actions by state and local prosecutors to engage politically motivated prosecutions of federal officials.”

The Judiciary Committee will hold a separate hearing on Tuesday examining how the New York County District Attorney’s Office “weaponized the criminal justice system in pursuit of its perceived political enemy, Donald Trump.” Witnesses will include Capital University Law School professor Bradley Smith, former judge John Wilson, and Jonathan Fahey, a partner at Holtzman Vogel.