California, Illinois Democrats dominate list of those asking Biden to exit race

As calls for President Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race grow, Democratic lawmakers from two states are taking a larger role in the effort to persuade the president to step away from his campaign: California and Illinois.

As of Friday, six congressional Democrats from California and five from Illinois have asked the president to leave the race, outpacing many other states’ congressional delegations when it comes to calls for Biden to drop out. 

From California, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ tracker, the Democratic lawmakers asking for Biden to step aside are Reps. Scott Peters, Adam Schiff, Mark Levin, Jim Costa, Jared Huffman and Zoe Lofgren. The Illinois Democratic lawmakers are Reps. Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider, Eric Sorensen, Sean Casten and Jesús “Chuy” García.

What’s also notable about those two states is the Democratic power players who call them home and have reportedly been voicing their thoughts about the president not being able to win in November: former President Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Pelosi’s California is one of the truest of blues and has been a Democratic stronghold for votes, donors, and political talent. Obama’s home state of Illinois is a more recent true blue state, after it was trending toward a swing state in the 2010 cycle but shifted heavily back to blue by 2016.

Pelosi is one of the most powerful voices and savvy political operatives in the Democratic Party — even while she has stepped away from leadership. Calls from lawmakers like Schiff and Huffman are widely considered to be due to her influence, after she has added private pressure for Biden to step aside.

Illinois lawmakers may have felt comfortable in making statements with the belief Obama has also been applying pressure to change the dynamics of the campaign.

Obama and Biden, meanwhile, have a long and complex history. Biden’s team has reminded the political world over the last few weeks that they are often underestimated, which largely stems from Obama’s decision to back former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the next Democratic presidential nominee over his vice president, Biden.

The calls from lawmakers from California and Illinois are part of the ongoing fallout from Biden’s disastrous performance in the presidential debate June 27 against former President Trump that raised concerns about his age, mental fitness and ability to recapture the White House in the fall.

As of Friday, at least 30 members of Congress have asked Biden to step aside in three weeks. 

Democratic Party insiders told The Hill on Thursday they expect the president to make an important announcement about his future in coming days. The White House and Biden campaign have denied that will be the case.

Biden and his allies have insisted he is staying in the race, remaining defiant that he is on the top of the ticket ahead of November. Vice President Harris, another California Democrat, has also not wavered in her support for the president.

“Absolutely, the president’s in this race,” Biden campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Friday, while also saying that the president “is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump.”

“You have heard from the president directly, time and time again: He is in this race to win and he is our nominee, and he’s going to be our president for a second term,” she said.