San Diego's Congressional delegation has joined the conversation about President Joe Biden's fitness to stay in the 2024 Presidential race.
Rep. Mike Levin, who represents portions of northern San Diego County and Orange County, on Friday became one of the latest Democratic leaders to call for Biden to drop out of the race, stating that he had received hundreds of calls from constituents on the topic.
Concerns arose about the president's fitness for office after Biden appeared to lack energy and lose his train of thought during a presidential debate against presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump on June 27.
"In the two weeks since the debate, I’ve had a chance to connect with so many of you, our constituents and supporters. The response from literally several hundred of you has been overwhelming, and I’m very grateful for your candor.
"First, let me say that President Biden has been an outstanding leader, not only of our nation, but of the entire free world. Making this statement is not easy. I have deep respect for President Biden’s five plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years. But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch," The statement read in part.
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A day earlier, Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, released a statement moments after Biden concluded a high-stakes briefing with reporters at the NATO Conference in Washington, D.C., which the White House had characterized as a "big-boy press conference" that would assuage fears about his age and mental acuity.
"The nation owes an enormous debt of gratitude to President Biden for saving us from a second term of a Trump Presidency in 2020 and for leading with his huge heart and a steady hand in challenging times," Peters' statement said. "His debate performance did not diminish his remarkable accomplishments and record of service. It's now clear, however, that the president's record of accomplishments will not translate into similar success in his reelection campaign.
Politics
"After a long primary process, we were on track to lose coming into the debate. The debate raised real concern among elected leaders, supporters, and voters that the president will not be able to wage a winning campaign. This was not a blip. And while the Biden campaign claims the post-debate national polls remain relatively unchanged, polling in the swing states has worsened alarmingly.
"Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign. The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course. My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the president and those around him," Peters continued.
Peters, 66, is a former San Diego City Councilman who has represented the area in the House of Representatives since 2013. He is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of 100 centrist Democrats in the House.
Rep. Juan Vargas, who also represents San Diego in Congress, continues to back the president. He told NBC 7:
"President Biden defeated Trump in 2020, and I look forward to seeing him do so again this November. I support the Biden-Harris ticket and the historic results they’ve delivered for our nation.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs has not responded to requests for comment.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, is also still backing Biden. Gloria posted on Tuesday on social media that "The President met with @DemMayors tonight to share his vision for a second term. His agenda for cities, families and workers is solid -- and far better than Donald Trump's scary Project 2025. Mayors have @JoeBiden's back and we'll help reelect him and @KamalaHarris this fall."
As he has in multiple appearances since the debate, Biden dug in Thursday on his determination to stay in the race.
"I'm not in this for my legacy. I'm in this to complete the job I started," Biden said.
"... My schedule has been full bore. So if I slow down and I can't get the job done, that's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet -- none," he insisted.
Biden at times made a forceful case for his candidacy, touting the record of his first term and what he characterized as the positive tone of the just-concluded NATO conference. However, Biden also made two more verbal gaffes that did no go unnoticed. He referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump" near the top of the news conference, and earlier introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin," mixing him up with the president of Russia, which is at war with Ukraine. Biden quickly corrected that mistake.
More than a dozen Democratic members of the House and one Democratic U.S. senator -- Peter Welch of Vermont -- have called on Biden to withdraw.
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, joined Peters in calling on Biden to end his presidential campaign immediately after Thursday's news conference.
On Wednesday, major Democratic Party donor George Clooney said the president needs to step aside amid concerns about his age and ability to run the country, citing what he implied were signs of decline he witnessed from Biden during a record-setting Los Angeles fundraiser Clooney co-hosted for Biden with former President Barack Obama on June 15.
