House Democrats Raise Concerns Over DNC Plan To Nominate Biden Before Convention

WASHINGTON (AP) — A contingent of House Democrats is wary of swiftly nominating President Joe Biden as the party’s pick for reelection, circulating a letter Tuesday raising “serious concerns” about plans for a virtual roll call as soon as July 21, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.

The letter to the Democratic National Committee, which has not yet been sent, says it would be a “terrible idea” to stifle debate about the party’s nominee with the early roll call vote.

“It could deeply undermine the morale and unity of Democrats,” said the letter obtained by The Associated Press.

As Biden pushes ahead with a robust campaign schedule in battleground Nevada, determined to “finish this job” and win a second term at the White House, the uneasiness over his candidacy lingers after his halting debate performance against Republican Donald Trump.

Nearly 20 congressional Democrats have called for Biden to leave the race, though public calls for him to step aside have stopped since the assassination attempt against Donald Trump over the weekend. Privately, the internal party debate about Biden’s future is far from over.

Democrats are deeply splintered on Capitol Hill over the president’s ability to carry on his campaign and win reelection, and a constituency that should provide a groundswell of support for the sitting president instead is worried they could lose not only the White House to Trump, but control of Congress to Republicans.

The party announced in May that it would hold an early roll call to ensure Biden would qualify for the ballot in Ohio, which originally had an Aug. 7 deadline, but the state has since changed its rules, making the issue no longer relevant, the letter says.

Rep. Jared Huffman,