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Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
After a few days of quiet following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the campaign by some Democrats to get President Joe Biden to step aside picked up steam again on Wednesday. Rep. Adam Schiff, who's running for the US Senate in California, said he has “serious concerns” about Biden’s ability to win in November. Reports also surfaced Wednesday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer met last week with Biden to express their concerns about his continued candidacy.
But the Democratic National Committee seems unmoved. In fact, it is reportedly planning to lock in Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee early, via a virtual vote during the first week of August. That would be two weeks before the start of the party convention, where the official nomination typically occurs. The convention’s rules committee is set to hold a meeting on Friday to discuss the matter and will reportedly finalize the plan next week.
Several top Democrats, donors, and mainstream newspapers have suggested Biden should step aside since his disastrous debate performance against Trump in June, opening up party splits at a time when the Republican Party, by contrast, looks strikingly unified behind Trump's candidacy.
Biden, meanwhile, tested positive for COVID late Wednesday and had to cancel a speech in Las Vegas before returning to Delaware to self-isolate with mild symptoms.
We’ll be watching to see if more top Democrats join Schiff, and whether the DNC can prevent a wider split in the party over this issue.