After the poor debate performance against Trump a Democrat Congress member calls for him to withdraw.
On July 2, 2024, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first sitting Democratic member of Congress to publicly call for President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, following Biden's widely criticized debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27. In his statement, Doggett referenced former President Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek reelection in 1968, arguing that despite Biden's achievements, he had consistently trailed Trump in polls and failed to effectively defend his accomplishments during the debate.
News coverage across multiple outlets consistently emphasized Biden's poor debate performance as the catalyst for Democratic unrest, Doggett's historic first public call for withdrawal, and the White House's defense that Biden simply "had a cold and a bad night." Coverage varied in how it presented other Democratic responses, historical context, potential impact on down-ballot races, and discussion of alternative Democratic nominees, with some outlets characterizing the party as in crisis while others presented a more measured picture of the situation.
On July 2, 2024, Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first sitting Democratic member of Congress to publicly call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. This significant development came less than a week after Biden's widely criticized debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Doggett, a 77-year-old congressman who has served since 1995 and represents a safely Democratic district based in Austin, Texas, made this announcement through an official statement.
In his statement, Doggett referenced former President Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek reelection in 1968, noting that he represents the same congressional district that Johnson once did. He argued that while Biden had "achieved much for our country at home and abroad," the president had consistently trailed Donald Trump in polls and failed to effectively defend his accomplishments during the debate.
All seven articles highlighted Biden's poor debate performance as the catalyst for the growing Democratic unrest. They described Biden as appearing confused, struggling with his responses, and speaking in a raspy voice. The articles consistently mentioned that Biden himself had acknowledged his performance was subpar, with Biden quoted as saying, "I don't debate as well as I used to."
Every article emphasized that Doggett was the first sitting Democratic member of Congress to publicly call for Biden's withdrawal. This was treated as a significant development that could potentially embolden other Democrats to follow suit with similar statements. The articles noted that while many Democrats had privately expressed concerns about Biden's candidacy, Doggett was the first to openly state what others had only whispered.
The articles consistently quoted several key parts of Doggett's statement, particularly his assessment that Biden had "failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump's many lies" during the debate. They also highlighted his argument that "too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory," suggesting that Biden's candidacy now posed a potential threat to Democrats' chances of defeating Trump in November.
Most articles included the White House's official response to Doggett's statement, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledging that Biden "did not have a great night" during the debate but defending his record and capabilities. The articles noted that Jean-Pierre attributed Biden's performance to him having "a cold and a bad night" and emphasized the administration's position that Biden would remain in the race.
The articles varied significantly in how much attention they gave to other Democratic responses to Biden's debate performance:
- The NBC News article focused primarily on Doggett but also mentioned Adam Frisch (a Democratic candidate in Colorado) and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro as joining calls for Biden to withdraw.
- The AP article included more context about Democratic lawmakers who remained supportive of Biden, including Senator Bernie Sanders, who expressed his continued support despite concerns.
- The NPR article devoted significant space to other Democratic lawmakers expressing concerns, including Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois and Representatives Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez, who predicted Trump would win.
- The CNN article highlighted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's statements on MSNBC, particularly her comment that it was "a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition?"
Several articles included comparisons to past Democratic presidential races, but with varying emphasis:
- Multiple articles mentioned Doggett's reference to Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek reelection in 1968.
- The Texas Tribune article was the only one to provide historical context about what happened after Johnson's withdrawal in 1968, noting the chaos at that year's Democratic National Convention and Vice President Hubert Humphrey's eventual nomination and loss to Richard Nixon.
Some articles discussed the potential impact of Biden's candidacy on down-ballot Democratic races, while others did not address this concern:
- The Texas Tribune article provided extensive coverage of how Biden's debate performance might affect competitive races in Texas, including Colin Allred's Senate campaign against Ted Cruz and several House races.
- The Fox News article included a statement from the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Jack Pandol criticizing Democratic lawmakers for not speaking out more forcefully.
- The NPR article mentioned concerns about down-ballot impacts from Rep. Mike Quigley, who said Biden needed to understand his decision impacts "who's going to serve in the Senate, who's going to serve in the House."
The articles varied in how much they discussed potential alternative Democratic nominees:
- The Texas Tribune article mentioned several potential successors including Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
- The CNN article noted that Rep. Jim Clyburn had stated he would support Harris if Biden were to withdraw.
- The ABC News article included former Obama administration HUD Secretary Julian Castro's comment that Democrats should find a "stronger" nominee, specifically mentioning Harris as a possibility.
Most articles devoted relatively little space to Biden's defensive arguments or the campaign's strategy to address concerns. While several mentioned his North Carolina rally the day after the debate, they generally provided minimal coverage of Biden's plans to demonstrate his capabilities going forward.
Some articles, like the Fox News piece, included Republican reactions to the Democratic infighting, while others focused exclusively on internal Democratic Party discussions. The coverage of Republican perspectives and how they might capitalize on the situation was inconsistent across the articles.
While all articles acknowledged Democratic concerns, they varied in how they characterized the level of panic within the party:
- Some described a party in crisis with escalating calls for Biden to step aside.
- Others presented a more measured picture, emphasizing that only one congressman had formally called for Biden to withdraw.
- The ABC News article noted that some Democratic National Committee members were pushing back against the "hand-wringing," quoting Rules and Bylaws Committee member Maria Cardona saying, "Let's get to work and stop whining."
The collection of news articles about Rep. Lloyd Doggett's call for President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race provides a multifaceted view of a significant political development. While the articles shared many common elements in their reporting, they differed notably in their emphasis, depth of historical context, and inclusion of diverse perspectives from within the Democratic Party. These differences reflect the various editorial approaches and potential political leanings of the different news outlets, highlighting the importance of consulting multiple sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of major political events.
Articles Analyzed: NBC News, AP News, NPR, CNN, ABC News, Texas Tribune, FOX News
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A Democrat Congress Member Calls For Biden To Withdraw
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