Schiff calls for Biden to ‘pass the torch’

Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) on Wednesday became one of the most prominent and high-ranking Democrats to call for President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.

Schiff, who is running for California Senate, said in a statement first reported by the Los Angeles Times that while Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history,” he noted that “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,” he explained. 

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” he continued. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”

Schiff noted that he would support whoever ended up being the Democratic nominee, even if it remained Biden, arguing that “the stakes are just too high.” 

The Democrat won a contested Senate Democratic primary that included fellow California Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in March and is widely anticipated to beat Republican Steve Garvey in the fall to start the full six-year term following Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) death.

But the congressman’s remarks offer the latest sting to the president, who has failed to tamp down unease within his party over his candidacy following a disastrous June 27 debate performance, which underscored concerns about his age and mental fitness. 

Biden has refused to drop out, saying as recently as Monday during an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt that he had not changed his position regarding whether to remain in the race.

“Look — we knew this — this was gonna be a close race from the moment he announced,” Biden told Holt. 

Close to two dozen House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have so far called on Biden to drop out, but it remains to be seen if the president will heed calls from some within the party to withdraw. 

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced in a letter reported Wednesday that the virtual roll call to nominate Biden was expected to take place in August before the convention. 

Updated 1:31 p.m. EDT.