Said Biden should step aside
Seth Moulton
Representative, Massachusetts
“President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father, George Washington’s footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump.” July 4
Previous statement
“I deeply respect President Biden and all the great things he has done for America, but I have grave concerns about his ability to defeat Donald Trump.” July 3
Raúl M. Grijalva
Representative, Arizona
“What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.” July 3
Lloyd Doggett
Representative, Texas
“I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not.” July 2
Marianne Williamson
2024 Democratic presidential candidate
“The time is now for another Democratic candidate to take his place on the November ballot.” July 2
Julián Castro
Former Housing and Urban Development secretary
“Another Democrat would have a better shot at beating Trump.” July 2
Tim Ryan
Former Representative, Ohio
“After deep reflection over these past few days, I strongly believe that our best path forward is Kamala Harris.” July 1
Tom Harkin
Former Senator, Iowa
“I think the president should step aside and let the convention pick a new candidate.” June 30*
R.T. Rybak
Former D.N.C. vice chair
“It is absolutely not too late to pick a new candidate.” June 30
Expressed concern
Maura Healey
Governor, Massachusetts
“Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.” July 5
Gerald E. Connolly
Representative, Virginia
“I don’t think we know that yet.” July 5, answering the question of whether Biden still gives his party the best chance to win in November.
Jared Huffman
Representative, California
“We need a course correction. We’ve got to acknowledge that this was not just one bad night.” July 4
Katie Porter
Representative, California
“This White House is going to have to be way less insular than they have been.” July 3
Scott Peters
Representative, California
“The question just now is, is this a candidate who can win the election? Because as much as I love Joe Biden, in those swing states, he’s having a hard time.” July 3
Debbie Dingell
Representative, Michigan
“President Biden has got to go out there, and in a sustained basis, show he has the stamina and can do the job.” July 3
Summer Lee
Representative, Pennsylvania
“People are worried. And we need our strongest, our brightest, our bravest to step up and start to take the reins right now.” July 3
Jake Auchincloss
Representative, Massachusetts
“We have strong people, not just the top of the ticket, but around the ticket, who can be strong surrogates.” July 3
Ann McLane Kuster
Representative, New Hampshire
“In order to respond to our constituents’ concerns, we need to demonstrate that the president is fit not just for the job, but for the campaign.” July 3*
Nancy Pelosi
Representative, California
“I think it is a legitimate question to say is this an episode or is this a condition?” July 2
Mike Quigley
Representative, Illinois
“It has to be his decision. We have to be honest with ourselves. It wasn’t just a horrible night.” July 2
Greg Landsman
Representative, Ohio
“The question is can he effectively prosecute the case against Trump.” July 2*
Don Davis
Representative, North Carolina
“If he is going to stay in, he needs to step up.” July 2
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Representative, Washington
“We all saw what we saw. You can’t undo that.” July 2*
Jared Golden
Representative, Maine
“In 2025, I believe Trump is going to be in the White House.” July 2
Sheldon Whitehouse
Senator, Rhode Island
“Like a lot of people, I was pretty horrified.” July 1*
Peter Welch
Senator, Vermont
“I really do criticize the campaign for a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion.” July 1
Hillary Scholten
Representative, Michigan
“We have heard concerns from people who saw the president on Thursday night. I felt concerned and raised those concerns.” July 1
Jamie Raskin
Representative, Maryland
“We’re having a serious conversation about what to do.” June 30*
Expressed support
Gavin Newsom
Governor, California
“Joe Biden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his.” July 3
Kathy Hochul
Governor, New York
“President Joe Biden is in it to win it, and all of us said we pledged our support to him.” July 3
Roy Cooper
Governor, North Carolina
“President Biden told us he is definitely running for re-election, he is our nominee and we’ll continue doing everything we can to deliver North Carolina for him.” July 3
Phil Murphy
Governor, New Jersey
“He is our nominee for President and I’m going to do everything I can to ensure he beats Trump.” July 3
Wes Moore
Governor, Maryland
“I know President Biden has Maryland’s back, so I’ve got his.” July 3
Josh Green
Governor, Hawaii
“I suspect people will need to see the president in person and on TV to be convinced he is up to it. He is.” July 3
John Carney
Governor, Delaware
“He’s our guy. He’s our nominee.” July 3
Robert Garcia
Representative, California
“The person to defeat Donald Trump is going to be the Joe Biden, Kamala Harris ticket.” July 3*
J. B. Pritzker
Governor, Illinois
“Joe Biden is going to be our nominee, unless he decides otherwise.” July 2
Chuck Schumer
Senator, New York
“I’m with Joe Biden.” July 2
Sheila Jackson Lee
Representative, Texas
“I stand unapologetically with President Biden, because no, he should not drop out. We must not lose focus.” July 2
Jaime Harrison
D.N.C. Chairman
“This ain’t the West Wing … we have had a process, millions voted for Joe Biden and we have our nominee!” July 2
Gretchen Whitmer
Governor, Michigan
“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump.” July 1
Katie Hobbs
Governor, Arizona
“As the president himself has said, don’t compare him to the almighty, compare him to the alternative. And by that metric, the choice is abundantly clear in this race.” June 30
Raphael Warnock
Senator, Georgia
“Absolutely not.” June 30, answering a question about whether Biden should step aside.
Chris Coons
Senator, Delaware
“The only Democrat who has ever beaten Donald Trump is Joe Biden. He is our candidate for November.” June 30
Hakeem Jeffries
Representative, New York
“A setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback.” June 30
Tim Walz
Governor, Minnesota
“And I think the American people understand that this president has delivered. There’s a lot of folks supporting him.” June 28
John Hickenlooper
Senator, Colorado
“President Biden has my full confidence as president and if he chooses to remain in the race, he’ll have my full support.” June 28
Jack Reed
Senator, Rhode Island
“It’s a difference between a bad initial debate and a very bad presidency, which Donald Trump can claim.” June 28
Bernie Sanders
Senator, Vermont
“I’ll do my best to get him elected.” June 28
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Representative, Florida
“I am confident that Joe Biden will keep America’s economy humming, create millions of jobs, and will fiercely protect Social Security, Medicare and our basic freedoms and democracy.” June 28
Jason Crow
Representative, Colorado
“The president has a great record to run on.” June 28
Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation
“Joe Biden’s presidency has been among the most productive and successful in American history.” June 28
