Five more Democratic House representatives are calling on President Joe Biden to end his 2024 re-election campaign as his team maintains that he is staying in the race. 

In an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) on Friday called on President Joe Biden to “pass the torch” while calling former President Donald Trump an “existential threat” to the country. Four other Democrats, Reps. Jared Huffman (CA) Marc Veasey (TX), Mark Pocan (WI),  and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL), also said on Friday that Biden should step away because of health concerns for the 81-year-old president. 

Casten said that he believed Biden would lose to Trump and that he should let another Democrat challenge him. He suggested that the country might not survive if Biden was defeated. 

“It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” Casten wrote. “To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward.”

He said that he believed that Biden would struggle to respond to criticism of his mental and physical health. 

“And as long as this election is instead litigated over which candidate is more likely to be held accountable for public gaffes and ‘senior moments,’ I believe that Biden is not only going to lose but is also uniquely incapable of shifting that conversation,” said  Casten. 

Democratic Reps. Huffman, Veasey, Pocan, and Garcia released a statement on Friday morning calling for Biden to withdraw from the race. 

“We must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” they wrote. “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.”

They added that “passing the torch” would inject enthusiasm into the Democratic Party and “reinvigorate the race.” 

The Biden campaign has so far denied any reports that he will drop out. Biden is currently recovering from COVID. His team said he might return to the campaign trail next week. 

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