Adam Schiff Calls On Joe Biden To Drop Out Of Presidential Race

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has called on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, arguing that he has “serious concerns” that the president can’t win.

“President Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better,” Schiff said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

Schiff said that it was time for Biden to “pass the torch” but that the choice to withdraw was “President Biden’s alone.”

Schiff, running for an open U.S. Senate seat in California, is one of the highest profile Democrats to call on Biden to exit the race. More than a dozen other House members also have done so, following Biden’s faltering debate performance against Donald Trump last month.

Biden has said that he will remain in the race, and has stepped up some of his media appearances, including an interview with BET’s Ed Gordon that is to air today.

Although Schiff’s Senate race is rated as “solid D” in deep blue California, there has been big concern among congressional Democrats that a Biden loss at the top of the ticket will be a drag on House and Senate races.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Schiff told attendees at a fundraiser on Saturday, “I think if he is our nominee, I think we lose. And we may very, very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House.”