House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries scheduled a virtual meeting Sunday with ranking Democratic committee members as he faces increasing pressure from his conference over President Joe Biden’s candidacy.
CNN reported Friday that Jeffries summoned his members as a growing number of Democrats are urging Biden to reconsider his reelection campaign, with some going as far as calling for him to step aside.
The White House has been struggling with the fallout from Biden’s poor performance in last month’s CNN presidential debate, which renewed questions about his mental fitness and ability to serve another term. Biden said Friday that he’s “completely ruling out” exiting the 2024 race and maintained in a high-stakes ABC News interview that he can beat former President Donald Trump in November.
Five House Democrats have called on Biden to step aside: Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Mike Quigley of Illinois.
Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is looking to align Democratic senators as he is reaching a place where he thinks it is time for Biden to suspend his campaign, a source familiar with his efforts told CNN.
Warner’s meeting with his colleagues is expected to take place Monday, according to a source familiar with the planning.
CNN’s Dana Bash and Sunlen Serfaty contributed to this post.
