July 2 (UPI) — Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, on Tuesday became the first elected Democrat to urge President Joe Biden to cease his re-election effort amid the fallout from Thursday night’s debate and the president’s poor performance.
“President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump,” Doggett said in a statement Tuesday.
“I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that,” Doggett said. “It did not.”
He said Biden should have reassured voters by emphasizing his accomplishments as president while exposing “many lies” allegedly made by Trump.
Doggett said he represents the same congressional district as former President Lyndon Johnson during his time as a U.S. representative and wants Biden to follow Johnson’s example when he declined to seek a second term in the White House because of his low popularity amid the Vietnam War and cultural upheaval in America.
“Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw,” Doggett said of Johnson. “President Biden should do the same.”
During last week’s debate, Biden at times misspoke and apparently lost his train of thought during what was the first presidential debate of 2024.
The debate also was one in which former President Trump used for myriad lies and hyperbole about a range of issues. Despite that debate performance, it is the current president’s debate appearance that has caused some former supporters to call on him to end his campaign for re-election.
Withdrawing from the election would enable a younger candidate to assume a leadership role, Doggett said.
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., on Tuesday told CNN Biden “has to be honest with himself” regarding his ability to continue as president.
“His four years are one of the great presidencies of our lifetime,” Quigley said. “This is a decision he’s going to have to make.”
A Biden campaign spokesperson said Biden “absolutely will not” withdraw his candidacy.