Governors back Joe Biden, who will 'absolutely not' leave race for president

July 3 (UPI) -- Joe Biden said he won't leave the presidential race, and Democratic governors expressed their support for his candidacy after meeting with the president. Another congressional Democrat now says he should withdraw.

"The president is clear-eyed and he is staying in the race," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed Wednesday afternoon during a daily press briefing.

"Anything else that we're hearing or reporting is absolutely false," she said, adding "and that's directly from [Biden]."

And in a fundraising email, Biden wrote: "I'm the Democratic Party's nominee. No one is pushing me out. I'm not leaving. I'm in this race to the end, and WE are going to win this election."

All 23 Democratic governors met in person at the White House or virtually. There are 23 Democratic governors.

Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Wes Moore of Maryland and Kathy Hochul of New York told reporters they all "pledged our support to him because the stakes could not be higher."

"What we saw in there today was a guy who was the guy that all of us believed in the first time to beat Donald Trump. And he did beat Donald Trump," said Walz, who is chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and instigated the meeting.

Biden, 81, was asked about his health.

During the hour-long meeting, the mentioned said had a checkup in recent days and remains in good health.

A source told Politico the exam was brief and did not include any major tests.

CNN reported he told governors he will stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so that he can get more sleep.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X that he "heard three words from the President - he's all in. And so am I. Joe Biden's had our back. Now it's time to have his."

Several governors in the room were frustrated, and some were upset about loyalty statements from the governors, according to reporting by CNN.

Vice President Kamala Harris was at the meeting.

Earlier, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., on Wednesday told the New York Times Biden should "shoulder the responsibility" to keep a Democrat in the White House and withdraw from the race.

Grijalva said he would support Biden's candidacy if he remains in the race but said now is a good time to look for another candidate.

Grijalva joins Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, in urging Biden to withdraw from the race.

Joining the growing chorus of calls for Biden to exit the race, Lost creator, screenwriter, and Emmy Award-winner Damon Lindelof in an open letter Wednesday urged Biden to end his re-election bid and called on the donors to stop funding his campaign.

"There is a choice before us and the choice is this - Do we leave our pitcher on the mound or do we go to the bullpen for relief?

"Our president's debate performance has been characterized in many ways; disappointing, upsetting, terrifying... but for me it was simply game-changing. So yes, let's go with the bullpen please. Let's go with relief."

And Democratic donor Whitney Tilson said Wednesday on CNN there's "almost no support" left for Biden as the party's nominee.

"I think that the dam has broken and that more and more people will come out publicly. I can tell you with certainty that as recently as last Friday and Saturday after the debate, there were quite a few people who felt like it was just an off night. As of today, I can't find anybody - and I am a hard, hardcore Democrat and Biden supporter," Tilson, who is editor of Stansberry Research, said.

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, a Democratic Park megadonor, told the New York Times on Wednesday that the president "needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous".

As Jean-Pierre touted Biden's "historic" record, she said that the president "understands it's fair" to ask questions related to his debate performance, characterizing it not as an "episode" as some have said but rather that "it was a bad night."

It was also reported Wednesday that Biden and Harris were on a "all staff" campaign call with Democratic National Committee staffers.

The White House outlined how in addition to jet-lag and Biden's alleged cold, the presumptive Democratic nominee was in the midst of his "ongoing duties as commander-in-chief" traveling the globe over multiple time zones including for the G7 Summit in Italy ahead of the high-stakes and early presidential debate, saying how Biden's performance is "what can happen in an important moment when you're not feeling well."

"He owned that the debate was not his best night," Jean-Pierre said. "It was not an excuse but an explanation and that's what you heard from him."

As she was questioned about the timing of Biden's extensive and "rigorous" travel schedule and the period in which he allegedly was sick leading up to the recent CNN debate in Atlanta with former President Donald Trump, Jean-Pierre defended the timing by saying Biden "knew he had to push through, and power through."

"We are laying out and explaining exactly what happened," the White House press secretary said. "We certainly don't want to explain this away." Biden, she said, will "continue to make a strong case for his agenda and that's what you're going to see."

The Biden campaign insists that while the president had a bad debate night, he is assuring donors and Democratic political leaders that he is both still up to the job and able to win re-election in November after a more energetic and coherent post-debate campaign rally in North Carolina.

On Friday, Biden will do an interview, unscripted, with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and a campaign event in Madison, Wis.