Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, is organizing a group of Democratic senators to ask Joe Biden to leave the presidential race, the Washington Post reported.
Sources familiar with the effort told The Post that Warner is concerned that Biden would hurt vulnerable Democratic senators’ re-election bid in November as the party goes on defense.
“He talks to a lot of his colleagues all of the time. There’s a statewide race going on in Virginia,” one source said.
“He’ll underscore the Senate race in Virginia, which we thought was going to be a walk in the park but it’s not,” the source continued. “I’m sure people in the White House are probably a little annoyed but this is an exercise that a lot of Democrats needed to be taken.”
Warner’s spokeswoman Rachel Cohen issued a statement to the Post which did not confirm or deny the reporting.
It said, “Like many other people in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president’s campaign, and he has made that clear to the White House.”
Asked about the effort to oust him Biden told reporters he’s “the only one.” He added that he’s talked about his campaign to at least 20 members of Congress who had offered support.
Biden also told a rally in Madison, Wisconsin that “they’re trying to force me out of the 2024 race”
The effort to oust Biden from the top of the ticket is the lasted in the fallout after a disastrous debate performance last week. Some House Democrats are also reportedly circulating a letter to ask Biden to step down.