Rep. Adam Schiff, a prominent Democrat and leading candidate for Senate in California, urged President Joe Biden on Wednesday to "pass the torch" and exit the presidential race.
“Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better,” Schiff said in a statement.
“But our nation is at a crossroads,” he added. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
His statement echoes calls from other Democrats who have called for the president to step aside in the aftermath of his disappointing debate performance in June.
Schiff is an influential voice in the Democratic Party. He is a close ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had made him Intelligence Committee chairman when she ran the Democratic Caucus. She had also appointed Schiff to lead the group of House impeachment managers prosecuting the case against former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial, and picked Schiff to serve on the House committee investigating Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6 attack.
Even as Biden has insisted he's not dropping out, Pelosi has left the door open to the possibility of a different nominee, saying on MSNBC that Biden needs to decide quickly about his future.
Schiff argued Wednesday that it is time for Biden to “pass the torch,” saying Democrats would have a better chance of beating Trump in November if he steps aside.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” he said. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Schiff vowed to get behind a potential replacement for Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket if the president were to drop out.
During an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” this month, Schiff had said that Vice President Kamala Harris "very well could win overwhelmingly" if Biden were to step aside and would be a "phenomenal president."
Schiff gave the Biden campaign a heads-up before publicly calling on him to drop out, according to a source familiar with the matter.
In a defiant interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, Biden said he wasn't going anywhere and that he had earned the Democratic nomination, with backing from 14 million primary voters. Asked about his apparent confusion at the June debate with Trump, Biden said his "mental acuity has been pretty damn good."
In response to a request for comment about Schiff's statement, the Biden campaign pointed to numerous statements of support from Democratic lawmakers, including from prominent Black leaders like Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev., both of who were traveling with Biden this week in Nevada.
