Rep. Zoe Lofgren: Biden is on a trajectory to lose the election. He needs to step aside
Another close Bay Area ally of Pelosi, longtime Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., also joined the group of detractors Friday, releasing a letter that she sent to Biden on Thursday night. In it, Lofgren mentioned her work on the House Jan. 6 Committee, warning that Trump “remains as grave a threat to the Constitutional order and rule of law that he was on January 6, 2021 when he incited insurrection.”
“We must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” Veasey, Garcia, Pocan and Huffman said of Biden in their joint statement. “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. 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,” the quartet continued. “Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign. It would reinvigorate the race and infuse Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum heading into our convention next month.” [Continue reading…]
Michael Moritz, the billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist and a top Democratic donor, is calling for President Biden to step aside, becoming one of the party’s largest contributors to go public with his concerns about the president’s candidacy.
“Sadly, President Biden has a choice — vanity or virtue,” Mr. Moritz said in an email on Friday to The New York Times. “He can either condemn the country to dark and cruel times or heed the voice of Father Time. The clock has run out.”
Mr. Moritz has given $7.8 million to pro-Biden and anti-Trump causes so far in the 2024 election cycle, federal records show. Most of the money, $6.8 million, went to American Bridge PAC, which has run advertising against former President Donald J. Trump in key battleground states. He also gave $1 million to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, which Mr. Moritz has encouraged his network to support over the years.
Mr. Moritz said in a follow-up email that all of his giving to the party — not just to Mr. Biden — was now on hold.
“I would vote for Biden, but I would not give another penny to any fund-raising appeals from Democrats,” he wrote. [Continue reading…]