New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill becomes first local Congress member to publicly demand Biden end 2024 bid
Rep. Mikie Sherrill became the first House Democrat representing the tri-state area to publicly call on President Biden to scrap his 2024 presidential bid.
Sherrill (D-NJ), whose district includes parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, hailed Biden’s accomplishments as president but fretted that he is at serious risk of losing to former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election.
“One of President Biden’s most significant accomplishments was defeating a man who represented an existential threat to the nation and the institutions upon which this country has been founded: former President, Donald J. Trump,” Sherrill, 52, said in a statement. “We cannot allow Trump to return to the White House.”
“Because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.”
Sherrill is the 7th House Democrat to make a public plea for Biden to pass the torch to a younger contender amid angst over his cognitive state, joining Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Mike Quigley of Illinois, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Adam Smith of Washington.
Three other senior Dems — Reps. Jerry Nadler and Joe Morelle of New York and Rep. Mark Takano of California — reportedly said on a call over the weekend that Biden should end his re-election campaign, but have yet to publicly demand he do so.
“At this point, he’s the best candidate — he’s the only candidate,” Nadler told reporters Tuesday morning ahead of a conference meeting on the topic.
On Monday, Biden, 81, sent a letter to congressional Democrats informing them that he wouldn’t step aside and that it was time for the conversation about him potentially dropping out “to end.”
However, Sherrill said in her feedback she was calling on Biden to step aside after hearing from residents of her district, which she has repped since 2019 after succeeding longtime GOP Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen.
“I have heard from people in my district who are united in their concern for our country and our future. They want a leader who can continue to build on our successes but is also able to turn the nation’s attention to the urgent threat that Trump presents to our democracy, to our freedoms, and to our country,” she argued.
“In light of the recent Supreme Court decision that gave inordinate power to the President of the United States, the stakes are too high — and the threat is too real — to stay silent.”
Biden won New Jersey by nearly 16 percentage points in 2020, but a smattering of polling this time around suggests the Garden State could be in play.
A survey sponsored by Emerson College and The Hill taken in late March showed Biden leading Trump by single digits, an outcome which could spell trouble for Sherrill, who won her second term by just 6.3 percentage points that same year.
“One of President Biden’s most significant accomplishments was defeating a man who represented an existential threat to the nation and the institutions upon which this country has been founded: former President, Donald J. Trump,” Sherrill said in a statement.
“Because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.”
Sherrill is the 7th House Democrat to make a public plea for Biden to pass the torch to a younger contender amid angst over his cognitive state.
