Senator Joe Manchin called on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, adding his voice to about three dozen US lawmakers publicly saying it’s time to find a new Democratic candidate.
“I come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May to register as an Independent, said on ABC’s This Week and in similar comments on CNN’s State of the Union.
With Biden spending the weekend at his Delaware beach house recovering from Covid-19, the field was open on Sunday for supporters and detractors to take a stand as the president battles to defend his reelection bid against growing pressure from allies, donors and voters.
Representative James Clyburn, one of Biden’s most influential supporters, renewed his backing for the president, saying polls that show Biden lagging former President Donald Trump in the race are only a snapshot in time.
“Is he the only one? No, he’s not the only one, and he is among the best that we can put forward,” Clyburn, whose support during the primary is credited with reviving Biden’s 2020 candidacy, said on CNN. “And I stand with him until he changes his mind — if he should change his mind.”
Three in five Americans say Biden should drop out of the presidential race, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll published Sunday. While 39% would be satisfied with Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee, only 34% preferred Biden at the top of the ticket, according to ABC.
Clyburn said a “mini primary” is a hypothetical option to choose a replacement for Biden if he dropped out, but he warned against allowing an open process at next month’s Democratic National Convention, saying it had led to chaos and defeat in the past.
Manchin, who had a rocky history of policy disagreements with Biden before leaving the party, caucuses with Democrats and is the fourth US senator on that side of the aisle to urge the president to step aside.
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Manchin said he hasn’t spoken with Biden in the last three weeks, but talked to associates and people who have worked with Biden. He called for an open process to select a new Democratic nominee.
“A healthy competition is what it’s all about,” Manchin said on ABC’s This Week. “There’s so much talent out there.”
Manchin, a centrist from West Virginia, was a major roadblock in passing critical pieces of Biden’s agenda when the White House relied on the slim Democratic majority in the Senate and has criticized the administration’s energy legislation.
Once considered a possible third-party candidate for 2024, Manchin struck down the prospects earlier this year and repeated again on Sunday that he wouldn’t be seeking a presidential run. He also isn’t running for reelection to the Senate.
In February, Manchin told National Public Radio he saw no age-related issues with Biden during interactions with him, but criticized the president for not appealing to moderate voters enough.
Manchin has spoken out against the White House’s implementation of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which he helped pass. In 2023, he accused the Biden administration of undermining the legislation with a “radical climate agenda.”
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