
Joe Biden (left) and Lloyd Doggett (Art by Zeke Barbaro / Getty Images (Biden: Public Domain / Doggett: Jana Birchum))
Earlier this month, Austin’s longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” Doggett argued in his statement July 2.
He’s now one of 19 Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate to have made this call, and as more Democrats have joined in calling for Biden to step down, the Democratic National Committee has moved ahead with a plan to virtually nominate President Joe Biden ahead of the August convention. News broke Wednesday that the DNC would delay the virtual process to August 1 after Democrats protested plans that could’ve started voting as soon as next week.
Though a minority of elected Democrats have publicly asked for Biden to withdraw, an AP-NORC poll published July 17 found that two-thirds of Democrats want him to exit the race. Doggett told the Chronicle last week that others in his party agree, but aren’t able to speak freely.
“I’m not starting a career,” Doggett said. “I’m not seeking a higher office. I’m not in an endangered seat. Many of my colleagues are, and I’ve had many of them come up to me and say, ‘Thanks for expressing what I can’t say.’”
Doggett hasn’t changed his mind, though, and doubled down in a statement Wednesday, July 17. “My call for President Biden to step aside remains even more urgent. Our decision must consider the reality of steadily, worsening poll numbers, not just more wishful thinking. The risk of Trump tyranny is so great that we must put forward our strongest nominee.”
In his new statement, Doggett said rushing the nomination process, “is no way to convince the many unconvinced voters in the growing number of battleground states. … Short-circuiting the normal Convention process jeopardizes the White House, Senate and House. With his gang controlling all branches of government, America is at serious risk of a totally-unleashed Trump. After accomplishing so much for our country, this should not be the legacy for which Joe Biden is remembered.”
Doggett and other Democrats have not suggested a replacement for Biden, but Doggett has expressed support for something like the “blitz primary” suggested in a leaked memo circulated by big Democratic donors. “I think a process that could involve town halls around the country, that could involve an open convention – would be messy, chaotic, and productive,” Doggett said last week. “What some view as chaos is really a great opportunity to refocus.”