US Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign event marking her seventh visit to North Carolina this year and 15th trip to the state since taking office in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA on July 18, 2024.
Peter Zai | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
US Vice President Kamala Harris has gained more public support from Democratic lawmakers as a potential replacement for President Joe Biden, if he decides to withdraw from the race against former President Donald Trump.
California Rep. Mark Takano on Saturday became the 36th Democrat in Congress to call on Biden to drop out of the race, adding that he believes Harris should lead the ticket.
“President Biden’s greatest achievement remains saving democracy in 2020. He can and must do it again in 2024 — by passing the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee,” Takano said in a statement.
“It has become clear to me that the demands of a modern campaign are now best met by a vice president who can transition seamlessly into the role of standard-bearer for our party,” he said.
Earlier in July, Takano was one of several Democratic committee members who expressed concerns about Biden's reelection bid in a private meeting with House Democratic leadership.
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) speaks alongside members of a congressional delegation that recently traveled to the Indo-Pacific region during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on August 10, 2022 in Washington, D.C.
Anna Mooney Macker | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Although some Democrats had been eyeing an open convention if Biden were to emerge, Takano has positioned himself within the party faction that sees Harris as the rightful heir to the top of the ticket, along with a campaign war chest of at least $91 million.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Saturday that Harris is “ready to step in and unite the party” if the president decides to drop out of the race. Warren has not formally called on Biden to drop out of the race.
“Joe Biden is our nominee,” Warren said in an interview with MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” “He has a very big decision to make, but we are very fortunate to have Vice President Kamala Harris. Eighty million people voted for her to take over if necessary.”
“Look, if you're running against a convicted felon, a prosecutor like Kamala is a really good person to build that case,” she added.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) addresses reporters during a break at the All-Party Artificial Intelligence Forum of the U.S. Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Sept. 13, 2023.
Julia Nickinson | Reuters
Since Biden stumbled in the June 27 debate against Trump, looming concerns about his age and ability to win in November have left deep fissures within the Democratic Party. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists have called on him to drop out, despite his defiant commitment to stay in the race.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that some donors are organizing money to vet potential vice presidential candidates in case the current Democratic ticket changes hands.
As the Democrats' rift widens, the president remains in isolation due to Covid in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Biden's campaign has continued to defiantly and publicly reject mounting pressure to withdraw, vowing that the president will remain in the race and return to the campaign trail when he is Covid-free.
“As soon as we get the green light, we'll be back on stage,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters Saturday morning.
Tyler said Biden is expected to return to the campaign trail “in earnest” next week.
Biden completed his sixth round of the antiviral drug Paxiloid on Saturday and was recovering “steadily,” according to an update from his doctor, Kevin O'Connor.
Meanwhile, Harris is carrying the campaign’s message. On Saturday, she spoke at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts that raised more than $2 million. On Friday, Harris joined a call with Democratic donors where she doubled down on her support for Biden, according to NBC News.
“We know who is the candidate who puts the American people first in this election: our President Joe Biden. We will win this election. We will win,” she said.
Conservatives have so far relished the emerging Democratic divisions, especially after the Republican National Convention, a four-day extravaganza celebrating the victory of Trump, their official nominee.
On Saturday, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump's recent pick for vice president, seized on the Democratic pressure, calling on Biden not only to drop out of the race but to resign from office entirely.
“Anyone who calls on Joe Biden to *stop running* without also calling on him to resign from the presidency is engaging in a ridiculous level of cynicism,” Vance wrote in a post on X. “If you can’t run, you can’t serve. He should resign now.”
Some of Biden's allies are staying out of the pressure campaign, instead supporting whatever course the president decides.
For example, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have remained “respectful” of Biden’s decision to keep his campaign alive, two people familiar with the Clintons’ thinking told NBC News on Saturday.
The Clintons have been actively trying to maintain donor support for Biden and have told the White House they will help in any way they can, people familiar with the matter said.
While Biden has acknowledged concerns about his age, he has remained steadfast in his position on reelection, blaming in part the media for focusing too much on his political weaknesses, even as some recent polls reflect a decline in his support.
Protesters from a grassroots group called Pass the Torch gathered on the sidewalk outside the White House on Saturday, praising Biden's record as president but urging him to drop his bid for a second term.
“We are ready to rally behind a new candidate and do everything we can to defeat Donald Trump in November,” shouted Aaron Regonberg, one of the organization’s leaders. “We are begging you, Joe, if you are listening, be the champion. Be the public servant, be the leader we know you are. Pass the torch.”
