Another House Democrat has called on President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., told The New York Times in an interview that it is Biden’s “responsibility” to get out of the race.
“If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” Grijalva said. “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 he believes a second Donald Trump term would be “very, very dangerous,” calling the former president an “anti-democratic, authoritarian despot.”
The Arizona Democrat’s comments come a day after Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, became the first elected Democrat to call for Biden to bow out of the race, citing Biden’s performance at last week’s debate, as the Deseret News reported.
So far, Grijalva and Doggett are the only Democratic members of Congress to call on Biden to withdraw from the race.
Who is Raúl Grijalva?
Grijalva, 76, is a progressive Democrat from Arizona who has served in Congress since 2003.
Grijalva represents the 7th District of Arizona and is ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee and a member of the Education and Labor Committee.
Biden ‘absolutely not’ dropping out
The Biden administration has been adamant that he is not dropping out of the race, the Deseret News reported.
When asked Wednesday if Biden was considering stepping down, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, “Absolutely not.”
“... He has been very clear, and he’s going to continue to build on the unprecedented record that he’s been able to lay out for the American people. That’s his focus right now.”
Jean-Pierre emphasized that Biden was not considering bowing out of the race, denying a report from earlier Wednesday that claimed the president told advisers that he is weighing whether or not he should continue his campaign for president, calling it “absolutely false.”