Rep. Lloyd Doggett becomes first Democrat in Congress to call for Biden’s withdrawal from 2024 race

WASHINGTON — A House Democratic lawmaker has become the first in the party to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the party’s nominee for president, citing Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments.” Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement Tuesday that Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.” “My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” Doggett said. Doggett’s explosive statement came minutes after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told MSNBC that she believes “it is a legitimate question” whether Biden’s halting performance is just “an episode or is this a condition.” “When people ask that question, it’s legitimate -- of both candidates,” Pelosi said. Pelosi said she had not spoken with Biden since the debate, but she emphasized that the president is on “top of his game, in terms of knowing the issues and what is at stake.” It all amounts to a stunning and swift turn of events for Biden, his campaign and his allies on Capitol Hill, who have spent the better part of the last several years combatting criticism about the president’s fitness and defending his ability to serve another four-year term, at the end of which he would be 86 years old. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, said that he has known Biden for years and served in the Senate with him, but had “never seen that happen before.” “I think people want to make sure that this is a campaign that’s ready to go and win, that the president and his team are being candid with us about his condition — that this was a real anomaly and not just the way he is these days,” Whitehouse told WPRI on Monday.