Senate Democrats will not convene on Monday to discuss their support for President Biden’s re-election bid, despite efforts by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to organize such a meeting, according to sources familiar with the situation. Warner’s proposed meeting was seen as a potential turning point for Senate Democrats, who have largely remained silent on Biden’s future amid increasing calls for him to step aside.
Last week, Warner reached out to Democratic senators to discuss Biden’s path forward, but the meeting was never scheduled. A source familiar with Warner’s thinking indicated that the details of the proposed meeting leaking out made it impossible to have a private conversation. Senate Democrats will instead meet on Tuesday for a regularly scheduled caucus meeting.
Democratic senators are having ongoing conversations about whether Biden should remain at the top of the ticket amid concerns about his mental acuity. While some lawmakers, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have stood behind the president, many Democratic senators have remained silent. Senators are returning to Washington on Monday after two weeks away, marking the first time they will be together since Biden’s debate performance, which many viewed as disastrous.
A group of top House Democrats recently stated that Biden should drop out of the race. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has publicly supported Biden but has told political allies that an early debate would give the party flexibility, including the possibility of finding a new candidate.
Some key House and Senate Democrats are planning meetings next week to discuss the path forward for President Biden. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) will convene a virtual meeting with Democratic committee ranking members on Sunday, focusing on Biden as he faces calls to step aside as the party’s nominee. Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Warner is organizing a group of Democratic senators to meet next week to discuss concerns about Biden’s electability and the potential impact on down-ballot races for the House and Senate.
Though two House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race following his debate performance, senators have so far refrained from making such calls. Warner’s office declined to comment on the meeting, and Jeffries’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
The House committee leaders’ meeting, set for Sunday, is not part of any regularly scheduled gathering of ranking members. It comes a day before House lawmakers are slated to return to Washington following the Fourth of July recess. Last weekend, Jeffries called Biden’s debate performance “underwhelming” and a “setback” but suggested it sets up a “comeback” for the president. However, Jeffries has been relatively quiet about Biden in recent days, and little has leaked from his conference call with top House Democratic leaders before the July 4 holiday.
Members of Congress have been away from Washington on recess since before Biden’s debate with former President Donald Trump, and both chambers will return on Monday evening. Biden and the White House have insisted that he will stay in the race, with the president telling supporters at a rally in Wisconsin that he is running and will beat Trump in November.
When asked about the Warner-organized meeting, a Biden campaign aide referred to the president’s rally in Wisconsin, specifically his remarks about staying in the race. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said in an interview that Warner had not reached out to him and that he “would not be part of” any conversation about urging Biden to step aside. Fetterman expressed confidence that Biden could beat Trump in November, stating, “Yes! He’s the one person who has beaten Trump before.”
A number of tactics are being discussed as senators with growing concerns weigh the best way to relay their worries to the president. Among the options under consideration is a meeting at the White House between senators and Biden. Even if some senators do not want Biden to drop out, advocates for the meeting argue they could use that forum to air candid concerns in person.
Though no sitting Democratic senator has publicly called for Biden to step aside, they have privately shared increasing concerns with one another over the past week as they fight an already uphill battle to maintain the Senate majority. As chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Warner is viewed as a serious voice privately advocating for the president to step aside. He represents a state that Democrats must win in November to maintain their hold on the White House.
There is a growing consensus among Senate Democrats that the situation with Biden at the top of the ticket is untenable, and senators are trying to determine the best way to relay that message to an insulated president. Some senators believe Biden does not have people around him who are giving him an accurate picture of the fallout, according to one Democratic senator and a senior Democratic aide.
Many senators are in wait-and-see mode, wanting to see how Biden performs in his interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and at his Wisconsin rally before committing to taking such a drastic step. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has told senators to wait for more polling data about Biden and Democrats’ standing before making any moves. Polling data is unlikely to be reliable until later this month due to the July Fourth holiday and the expected bump Republicans will receive from their national convention.
Warner has not commented publicly on Biden’s debate performance, even as many of his colleagues posted initial messages of support while privately fretting about the fallout. Warner, a former governor of Virginia and ex-businessman, has occasionally criticized the Biden administration over various issues, including its decision to promote content on TikTok and its handling of a classified documents inquiry.
If Warner’s group were to materialize, it would mark a significant shift in how Democrats are approaching whether Biden can stay in the contest against Trump. In August 1974, three Republican congressional leaders went to the White House to inform President Richard M. Nixon that he no longer had enough support to survive impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Nixon resigned two days later.
In this case, Democratic senators, many of whom personally know and like Biden, are concerned about Biden’s future and prospects after his debate performance raised questions about his mental acuity and health. One Democratic senator described the general mood of the caucus, stating, “I think there is a sense among many that the current path may not be sustainable for him. Not because of the debate alone but how well he performs in the future. He obviously has to show strength right now.”
Senators have been in their home states since the debate but have been communicating via phone, venting their concerns and trying to chart a way forward. Schumer has publicly stood by Biden, but Warner is ready to make the case now.
Source: Axios, NBC News, The Washington Post
