North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman joined a growing chorus of Democratic officials calling for President Joe Biden to step out of the race today, issuing a joint message with three of his congressional colleagues directly to the embattled candidate, stating it was time for him to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
Huffman has been raising concerns about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in recent weeks while also raising the alarm about Project 2025, the conservative roadmap designed for a new Trump presidency. (Read more in this week's cover story "Huffman Talks Project 2025"
here.)
In a
pre-recorded interview that ran on local radio station KZZH yesterday, he went as far as to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrats' best chance for retaining the White House. But Huffman had previously stopped short of directly pressing for Biden to end his bid for a second term.
In a
social media post accompanying the joint message, Huffman wrote, “Thomas Paine famously said, ‘the times have found us.' Winning this election is a moral, democratic & existential imperative.”
Huffman went on to state that with “that in mind, and with a firm belief we can turn this around & win,” he was releasing the message to Biden with fellow Representatives Marc Veasey of Texas, Chuy Garcia of Illinois and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin.
“Mr. President, with great admiration for you personally, sincere respect for your decades of public service and patriotic leadership, and deep appreciation for everything we have accomplished together during your presidency, it is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders,” the statement reads. “We must defeat Donald Trump to save our democracy, protect our alliances and the rules-based international order, and continue building on the strong foundation you have established over the past four years.
“At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign. These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change,” the statement continues. “We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House. Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment. Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign. It would reinvigorate the race and infuse Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum heading into our convention next month. Mr. President, you have always put our country and our values first. We call on you to do it once again, so that we can come together and save the country we love.”