U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., became the fifth House Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to exit the 2024 race Saturday, joining Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley andArizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
Biden has faced growing pressure to end his reelection campaign since his first debate against former President Donald Trump June 27. His raspy voice, verbal stumbles and sinking poll numbers prompted panic within his party the president has tried to calm over the last week. But after his defiant post-debate interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos aired Friday, even more Democrats are questioning his viability as a candidate.
Earlier this week, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey became the first Democratic governor to ask Biden to reevaluate his 2024 campaign and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., reportedly began organizing a group of Democratic senators toask Biden to drop out.
More:'I'm the nominee': Biden calls out Democrats pushing for him to withdraw from election
The Democratic representatives who have already publicly asked the president to bow out of the race hail from different parts of the country. Here is what we know about them:
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Lloyd Doggett of Texas
Doggett, 77, became the first Democratic lawmaker to break with the president and party line when he called for Biden to make way for a "new generation of leaders" Tuesday.
"President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020," he said in a statement Tuesday. "He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024."
The progressive Democrat is the most senior member of the Texas congressional delegation and has represented parts of Austin for nearly three decades since assuming office in 1995.
Raúl Grijalva of Arizona
The day after Doggett's call for Biden to step aside, Grijalva told The New York Times that Democrats need to "put up a fight" against Trump and that Biden should exit the 2024 race.
“What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race,” Grijalva said in an interview with the Times.
Grijalva, 76, is a progressive Arizona Democrat who represented the state's third district for 20 years. In 2022, he won election to serve its seventh district, which includes parts of Tucson, Yuma, Nogales and Phoenix.
Seth Moulton of Massachusetts
Moulton, 45, questioned Biden's ability to beat Trump this November in a statement released Wednesday, but went a step further when he called on Biden to end his bid for the White House Thursday.
"President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father, George Washington's footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump," Moulton said in an interview with WBUR.
Moulton is a former Marine Corps officer and a moderate member of the Democratic party. He has represented parts of Massachusetts's north shore since 2015.
Mike Quigley of Illinois
After Biden's interview on ABC News Friday, Quigley spoke on air with MSNBC's Chris Hayes and called for Biden to bow out of the race.
“Mr. President, your legacy is set. We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude. The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this," Quigley said.
Quigley, 65, has represented the north side of Chicago and the city's western suburbs since winning a special election in 2009. He is known for his ardent support of Ukraine and has been described as a moderate with a "progressive bent."
Angie Craig of Minnesota
Craig's statement Saturday followed Biden's ABC interview that aired the night prior. She said while she respected Biden's decades of public service, the stakes are too high in the election against Trump for him to remain in the race.
"If we truly believe that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans must be stopped, there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win," Craig said. "This future of our country is bigger than any one of us.It’s up to the President from here.”
Craig, 52, is a former journalist and businesswoman. She is the state's first openly LGBTQ+ member of the state's legislature. Craig has represented Minnesota's Twin Cities suburbs and southwest rural areas since 2019.
Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @rachelbarber_
