Bidenvote
© Kent Nishimur/AFP/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden • Vote to Live Prosperity Summit • College of Southern Nevada • July 16, 2024
On Thursday evening, the New York Times reported that 'people close to Biden' say the president has "begun to accept the idea that he may not be able to win in November and may have to drop out of the race."

The Biden campaign swiftly answered - insisting that wasn't true, while longtime Biden ally Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) - whose daughter Biden sniffed - said that the president is still seeking 'input' from colleagues on what to do.

On Friday, Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon insisted on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' that the president is staying in the campaign against all odds.
"He's our nominee and he's going to be our president for a second term. This has been such a hard week, but Biden will be back on the trail next week (after allegedly contracting COVID).

"This is an organization built for the Biden-Harris ticket."

That said, a new Economist/YouGov survey found that 79% of Democrats approve of VP Kamala Harris replacing Biden if he steps aside. That said, just 28% of Democrats said Harris is more likely than Biden to win against Trump, while 32% said she was just as likely, and 24% say she is less likely to defeat the former president in November.

Meanwhile, more prominent Democrats issued statements on Friday calling for Biden to drop out.
Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) issued a joint statement Friday morning, writing that while they have "great admiration" for Biden, the public worries over his age and fitness for office are threatening his chances of winning the election, zeroing in on his disastrous debate performance last month.
- The Hill
"Mr. President, with great admiration for you personally, sincere respect for your decades of public service and patriotic leadership, and deep appreciation for everything we have accomplished together during your presidency, it is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders. At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign.

"These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month's debate and are now unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House. "
Veasey marks the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to call on Biden to step aside, while the other three, Huffman, Garcia and Pocan, are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The four see Vice President Kamala Harris as leading the pack of the "deep and talented [sic branch] bench" Biden could pass the torch to.
"Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment. Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign."
Dem Rep. Zoe Lofgren also called on Biden to step aside on Friday.

Also meanwhile, a Democratic Party committee will meet on Friday to discuss a virtual voting process to nominate Biden as the party's candidate. The vote would take place ahead of the DNC's in-person convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. It's unclear how the nominating process would continue if Biden were to leave the race.

The prediction markets are less confident...
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