Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig has become the fifth House Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, saying “there is simply too much at stake.”
Craig, who is the first openly LGBT member of Congress from Minnesota and the first lesbian mother to serve in Congress, said in a statement on X that she had not arrived at her position easily.
“As an elected leader, I feel a responsibility to be honest about what I believe, even when it’s hard to hear. President Biden is a good man & I appreciate his lifetime of service. But I believe he should step aside for the next generation of leadership,” Craig wrote.
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“This is not a decision I’ve come to lightly, but there is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency. That’s why I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as President and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.”
US Representative Angie Craig (D-MN), second from left, with Vice President Kama Harris, US Representative James Clyburn (D-SC), Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) with Joe Biden.
MANDEL NGANCraig joins Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) to call on the president to step aside after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
“If we truly believe that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans must be stopped, there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win. This future of our country is bigger than any one of us. It’s up to the President from here,” Craig said.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella claimed Craig’s statement was simply about trying to hold onto her seat in an election year.
“Everyone can see Craig’s statement for what it truly is, a transparent election-year ploy to try to cling to her seat. President Biden is sitting in the Oval Office because Angie Craig and Democrats hid the truth from voters and lied about the president’s condition. Angie Craig must answer the question: Is Joe Biden fit to serve as President?” he said.
Biden’s campaign has been hopeful that some rallies and a sit-down interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos would help turn things around for the president.
Biden said during that interview he was staying in the race and that the debate was simply a “bad episode,” which he blamed on exhaustion and said there was no underlying condition.
“If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race,” Biden said. “The Lord Almighty’s not coming down.”
Further adding fuel to speculation that Biden may step down is a decision by key ally Rep. Jim Clyburn, canceling a scheduled interview with CBS’ Face the Nation.
