U.S. Representative Marc Veasey (D-TX 33rd District) from Fort Worth has joined a growing group of congressional members urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Veasey, along with Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), and Mark Pocan (D-WI), sent a letter to President Biden on Friday morning. The letter expressed concerns about Biden’s age and fitness potentially jeopardizing what should be a successful campaign and urged him to “pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders.”
The letter stated, “These perceptions may not be fair, but they have solidified following last month’s debate and are unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic action you can take now 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, including Vice President Kamala Harris, whom you have empowered and prepared for this moment. Passing the torch would fundamentally alter the campaign’s trajectory, reinvigorating the race and infusing Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum as we head into our convention next month.”
The representatives highlighted Biden’s dedication to the country and called on him to prioritize this commitment to defeat Donald Trump and “save democracy.”
Veasey is the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to request Biden’s withdrawal from the race but is the second Texas House Democrat to do so. Last week, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX 35th District) of Austin was the first Democrat on record advocating for Biden to “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.”
In response, a Biden campaign official reiterated the president’s commitment to the race, referencing a previous statement on MSNBC’s *Morning Joe*. “You have heard from the president directly time and again: He is in this race to win, and he is our nominee, and he’s going to be our president for a second term.”
The Biden campaign also noted that he received an endorsement from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s political arm, BOLD PAC, on Friday, and earlier in the week, nearly a dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined him on the campaign trail.
Should Biden withdraw and the Democratic Party face an open convention in August in Chicago, the Texas delegation—one of the largest in the country—will play a significant role in the decision-making process.
