Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday became the seventh congressional Democrat to publicly call on President Biden to end his presidential campaign and pass the torch to a new leader.
The New Jersey Democrat said in a statement that, faced with the possibility of former President Donald Trump returning to office, “the stakes are too high — and the threat is too real — to stay silent.”
“I realize this is hard, but we have done hard things in pursuit of democracy since the founding of this nation,” Ms. Sherrill said. “It is time to do so again.”
The decision for Ms. Sherrill to break her silence on Tuesday is notable because House Democrats held a closed-door caucus meeting that morning to air their views on whether Mr. Biden should remain in the race. While some members expressed private concerns in the meeting, most Democrats said afterward that the majority of the caucus supports keeping Mr. Biden as the nominee and predicted those with concerns would soon coalesce behind the president.
Ms. Sherrill’s statement effusively praised Mr. Biden for his decades of public service and legislation enacted during his presidency “that will reverberate for generations.” She said the president and his team “have put the country and the best interests of democracy first and foremost in their considerations.”
“And because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee,” she said.
Ms. Sherrill, who represents a relatively safe Democratic district, said she’s heard from constituents “who are united in their concern for our country and our future.”
“They want a leader who can continue to build on our successes but is also able to turn the nation’s attention to the urgent threat that Trump presents to our democracy, to our freedoms, and to our country,” she said.
Another New Jersey Democrat, Rep. Andy Kim, who is running for the Senate this year, told New Jersey Globe he has concerns about Mr. Biden’s ability to remain atop the Democratic ticket. He stopped short of calling on Mr. Biden to step aside, but opened the door to conversations about an alternative nominee.
“The question is, can Biden win, and is there somebody that can potentially be stronger? That’s what I’m digging in on right now and trying to think through,” Mr. Kim said. “I don’t think it’s a problem for us to think through this and be absolutely thorough in terms of what this last stretch of the campaign could look like… There’s enough time that if there needs to be a switch, I think that could be done.”
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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