Four more Democrats in Congress call for Biden to step aside in the 2024 race

WASHINGTON — Four additional Democrats in Congress told their lawmaker colleagues during a phone call Sunday that they believe President Joe Biden should step aside to allow someone else to be the party’s nominee for president, according to multiple people on the call and familiar with the discussion.

The House Democrats who said Biden should drop out of the race were Adam Smith of Washington, Jerry Nadler of New York, Mark Takano of California and Joe Morelle of New York.

All four lawmakers hold top positions on key committees and bring the number of Democrats in Congress who have called for Biden to reconsider his bid for president to nearly a dozen.

Smith is the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. Similar positions are held by Nadler on the Judiciary Committee, Takano on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Morelle on the House Administration Committee.

The four lawmakers and the Biden campaign did not immediately provide comments on the call.

The conversation took place Sunday afternoon during a call convened by House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. During the call, which lasted over an hour, Biden’s future as the leader of the party was heavily called into question, according to the sources.

Each lawmaker was given a chance to speak in order of seniority. Even those who did not explicitly call on Biden to bow out expressed concerns that he is not the strongest candidate to beat former President Donald Trump in November, additional sources said.

There was an overwhelming sense among lawmakers that Vice President Kamala Harris would be a better nominee than Biden and that she would be the obvious choice to replace Biden should he exit the race, the additional sources said.

Jeffries’ office