Congressional Democrats are not ready to line up behind President Biden’s bid for a second term, despite his Monday morning letter asking them to quash any talk of replacing him as the party’s presidential nominee.
As Congress returned Monday evening from its July 4 recess, Mr. Biden picked up far more support from Democratic lawmakers backing his bid to remain the nominee than he lost from those calling for him to step aside.
But more of a concern for Mr. Biden are the dozens of House and Senate Democrats who issued statements or told reporters Monday they need to see more evidence he is capable of beating former President Donald Trump in November and serving another four-year term.
Sen. Patty Murray, who as Senate president pro tempore is third in line to the presidency, said in a statement issued late Monday that while she has a “deep appreciation and strong respect for” Mr. Biden, he “must do more to demonstrate he can campaign strong enough to beat Donald Trump.”
“We need to see a much more forceful and energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the very near future in order for him to convince voters he is up to the job,” the Washington Democrat said.
“At this critical time for our country, President Biden must seriously consider the best way to preserve his incredible legacy and secure it for the future,” she said.
SEE ALSO: Patty Murray says Biden has to shape up and prove he can win
A fellow Washington Democrat was more forthright.
“I think he should step aside,” Rep. Adam Smith, the House Armed Services Committee ranking member, said on CNN. “I think it’s become clear that he’s not the best person to carry the Democratic message.”
Mr. Smith was the only Democratic lawmaker to make that call publicly on Monday, becoming the sixth House Democrat who has publicly suggested Mr. Biden should either pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris or free his delegates to support an alternative nominee.
Other top Democrats, like House Judiciary ranking member Jerry Nadler of New York and Mark Takano of California, declined to comment publicly on Monday after saying during a private leadership call on Sunday that they think Mr. Biden should step aside.
Mr. Smith said Ms. Harris “would be a much better, stronger candidate — and because she is constitutionally his second, that’s the way it’s supposed to work.”
“If the president is no longer able, Kamala Harris is there,” Mr. Smith said, suggesting Mr. Biden is not able to overcome the doubts about his health and consistently deliver a winning message for the party.
Mr. Biden wrote in his letter to congressional Democrats earlier Monday that questions about how the party moves forward have been “well aired for over a week now” and that “it’s time for it to end.”
“Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us,” he said. “It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party and defeat Donald Trump.”
But many Democrats, including at least a dozen in the Senate where Mr. Biden previously served, said they need more demonstrable evidence that the president is capable of winning and serving a second term before delivering that unity.
“President Biden has got to prove to the American people — including me — that he’s up to the job for another four years,” Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who is considered among the party’s most vulnerable incumbents up for reelection in November, said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, each reiterated Monday that he is backing Mr. Biden and the Democratic ticket.
But that did not stop some of their Democratic caucus members from wanting to have further conversations about whether Mr. Biden is the best person to lead the party in November.
House Democrats are set to gather Tuesday morning and Senate Democrats separately Tuesday afternoon for their first in-person caucus meetings since Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
“The most important thing for Democrats and the country is to beat Donald Trump. And we just arrived,” Sen. Brian Schatz, Hawaii Democrat, said as lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on Monday. “And so it’s important that we have in-person, family conversations about the best way to do that. And I’m not going to comment further.”
Mr. Schatz, Mr. Tester and Ms. Murray are among at least a dozen Senate Democrats who have declined to either back Mr. Biden or call on him to step aside.
Those Democrats — whose degrees of concern about Mr. Biden varied — also included Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jeanne Shaheeen of New Hampshire, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Angus King of Maine, Michael F. Bennet of Colorado, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
“I expect the president to act in the best interest of the country, as he always has,” Ms. Shaheen told reporters.
Mr. Bennet said he wants Mr. Biden to succeed, but he has yet to convince enough skeptical voters or lawmakers that the debate was a one-time flub and not a broader problem that will cost the party in November.
“This is a moral question,” he said. “And we should satisfy ourselves as Democrats, that in an era of Donald Trump … and in all of the danger that he represents to our children’s future — that we are putting our best foot forward; that we are on a path to win the presidency; that we are on a path to hold a majority in the Senate; that we’re on a path to win a majority of the House. And we were on a path, I think to do those things before the debate.”
It was not all bad news for Mr. Biden, who did receive plenty of support from Senate and House Democrats enthusiastically backing him as the party’s nominee.
“Dammit he’s fought for our families, he’s been on the picket line with our organized labor, he’s fought for lowering costs and addressing housing. So he’s good for Nevada and Nevadans. And that’s why I’ve got his back,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada Democrat.
Still, even some Democrats who said they support Mr. Biden remaining the nominee suggested he could do more to prove that to those with concerns.
Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat, said he’s advised the White House that the president should hold town-hall meetings where he can interact with voters in an unscripted but more intimate setting than the debate stage provided.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, reiterated her support for Mr. Biden remaining atop the ticket, but made a similar suggestion.
“What I think the president does need to do is continue to lean in and move further towards the working class and be more assertive in providing an affirmative vision for this country and expand in his policies and vision for a second term,” she said.
One crucial block of support for Mr. Biden has been the Congressional Black Caucus. Many members of the caucus have put out public statements backing Mr. Biden, including the group’s chair, Rep. Steven Horsford, Nevada Democrat.
Mr. Horsford organized a virtual meeting between Mr. Biden and Congressional Black Caucus members on Monday evening, which he told reporters in advance would serve as an “open conversation” for anyone who had lingering questions, despite many in the group already expressing their support for the president.
He said the caucus would decide later as a group whether to issue a joint statement or letter in support of Mr. Biden.
“We are a very diverse caucus. We represent every ideological perspective. We have the youngest member of the Congress and one of the more senior members and everything in between,” Mr. Horsford said. “We’re not a monolith. And like our constituents, we represent all of America.
Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat, said most Black Caucus members stand behind Mr. Biden because he’s always done the same for them and the Black community.
Their support for the president sends an especially strong message given the prevailing assumption is Ms. Harris would become the first Black woman to head one of the two major-party tickets if Mr. Biden were to step aside.
“Right is right. We can’t change right based on who is coming next,” Mr. Cleaver told The Washington Times.
There is no fear among Black Caucus members that Ms. Harris can’t defeat Mr. Trump, he said, noting, “she probably can.”
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey Democrat, blamed the media for stirring up drama about Mr. Biden’s viability ahead of the Democratic convention in August rather than focusing on the differences between him and Mr. Trump.
“Biden is our nominee. I want the convention to go smoothly,” she said. “I think that the worst thing that could happen would be for the media to hype up all the negativity about Biden and ignore the fact that his opponent is a lying, stupid, amoral son of a b——.”
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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