To Democrats, it's not just their nominee but democracy on the ballot

Congressional Democrats are frozen over the decision whether to pressure President Joe Biden to step aside to be replaced by a new nominee.

Making the wrong decision could have lasting ramifications for the party and the country. At stake is not just the White House, or control of the House and Senate, but the future of democracy itself, Democrats say.

"The passion of the conversation is because you don't have a Mitt Romney on the other side. You have Donald Trump and a radical agenda, firing civil servants and restricting abortion and deporting immigrants. And the party wants to make sure that we're putting forward our best shot for victory," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has been one of Biden's top surrogates.

A threat to democracy and down ballot prospects

Democrats have centered the 2024 race around how they believe former Donald Trump's return to the White House could spell the end of American democracy, saying that he'll be an autocrat who dramatically expands executive power and serve his own interests over the country's.

More: Biden faces crucial day to answer critics amid growing Democratic dissent: Live updates

Those who want Biden to stay and those who want him to step aside are both placing the threat of Trump at the center of their argument. They point to his refusal to accept his 2020 election results and the ensuing insurrection attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, his statements that he'd only be a dictator on day one and that he'd jail his opponents and detractors.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., said in a statement Tuesday that she believes the risk of Trump winning reelection is too high to take a chance on a candidate who is facing concerns about his viability.

“When I think of my four children and all of the rights that another Trump presidency endangers, and in light of the recent Supreme Court decision that gave inordinate power to the President of the United States, the stakes are too high — and the threat is too real — to stay silent,” she added. “I realize this is hard, but we have done hard things in pursuit of democracy since the founding of this nation. It is time to do so again.”

Only a handful of Democrats have directly called for Biden to step aside, and members say privately that fear of being out on a limb is keeping more members from breaking with Biden. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., became the first senator to take that step Wednesday night.

"I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not," Welch said in a Washington Post opinion piece Wednesday. "For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race."

But many have also publicly endorsed Biden staying in the race.

"He is the most accomplished and consequential president in my lifetime. I think it would be a huge mistake for the Democratic Party, based on one evening and one debate, to turn aside from supporting a very seasoned and capable president," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Dozens of representatives and senators have said they need to see a robust Biden campaigning and giving public interviews to reassure Americans.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., suggested Biden should consider dropping out in favor of a candidate who can articulate clearly what Trump's re-election would mean for the country.

"There is such a case to be prosecuted against Donald Trump — President Biden has to lead the charge in making that case," Murray said. "With so much at stake, the American people need to understand what a serious threat a second Trump presidency would be to our democracy, our fundamental freedoms, and their livelihoods.

The Trump campaign dismisses the claim that he would undermine democratic institutions in a second term, with Trump saying at rallies that instead Biden is the threat.

“I don’t think you’re going to have another election in this country, if we don’t win this election … certainly not an election that’s meaningful,” he said at a March rally.

Democrats fear Trump will be especially unrestrained if Republicans also control Congress. With Biden trailing Trump in polls in multiple states, they fear a weak showing for Biden could drag down Democrats in close down ballot races.

"It's not about loyalty, it's about being pragmatic," Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said on CNN Monday. "Every vote counts so the top of the ticket is essential that it be very strong, and again, we're going in the opposite direction. The president has to respect that."

Leadership watches and waits

While they acknowledge that they have limited time left to switch candidates, with their caucuses publicly divided, Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are still in listening mode.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are doing their best to stay above the fray until there is consensus, they answer most questions simply: they support Biden. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said on MSNBC Wednesday that Jeffries and House leaders won't call publicly for Biden to leave but claimed privately they're expressing concern to the White House.

House Democrats will "continue to have candid, comprehensive and clear-eyed conversations," Jeffries told reporters Wednesday as he exited a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.

Following grumbling about his ability to campaign effectively and serve as president after a stumbling performance in the first presidential debate Biden has declared he will not step down and that the discussion is over.

In a letter to congressional Democrats Monday Biden stressed that he is the only person who has beaten Trump before, and that he believes that he’s the only candidate who can defeat him again.

The party would find it nearly impossible to outright force Biden to drop out. Biden has won a majority of delegates who are obligated to vote for him as the nominee unless he releases them to vote for another candidate. The nomination process is currently scheduled to occur before August 7, weeks before the convention.

But many Democrats on Capitol Hill are holding their collective breath that he’ll change his mind and give them a chance at a stronger nominee to square off against Trump in November.

Though early in the week it looked as if Biden and his supporters had outflanked those publicly calling for his ouster by securing the public support of a powerful voting bloc, the Congressional Black Caucus, the dam began to crack Wednesday as the drip of people calling for him to step aside continued.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” indicated Biden's declaration wasn't the final word .

“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision. Because time is running short,” she said.

Family meetings

Democrats have been unusually tight lipped about internal party conversations beyond acknowledging they are far from aligned on what should happen. Several senators and representatives have indicated that the calls for change could become louder as soon as Friday, once they’ve seen how Biden handles a press conference Thursday.

Democrats have quietly shared internal polling showing their chances of winning the House and holding the Senate has dropped since the debate, shifting some into panic mode. Some of the most vulnerable members were reportedly in tears during a meeting with House leadership early in the week.

Khanna said part of the calculation is the importance of a bulwark in either the House or Senate to stymie the policies Trump and congressional Republicans hope to pursue if they win. Democrats controlled the House for the second half of Trump's term and were able to halt most of his wish list from becoming law.

"We desperately want to win the presidency. But at the very least we view having Hakeem as speaker as an insurance policy for the preservation of democratic norms and institutions. And both are front and center," he said.

The House is currently divided 220 Republicans to 213 Democrats.

Vulnerable House Democrats were among the most vocal participants in the 'family meeting' Monday morning.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y, who sits in a safely Democratic seat, said in a statement "there must be a serious reckoning with the down-ballot of whomever we nominate."

"What matters is not how we feel but what the numbers tell us," Torres said Wednesday.

A few senators speak out

The gentle nudges from a few senators and representatives early in the week became more explicit by Wednesday, emphasizing Biden's duty to protect the country and the party.

"I have complete confidence that Joe Biden will do the patriotic thing for the country. And he's going to make that decision. He's never disappointed me,“ Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told News Nation. "He's always put patriotism and the country ahead of himself and I'm going to respect the decision he makes."

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., stopped short of urging Biden to leave the race Tuesday night when he told CNN he thinks Biden cannot beat Trump in November.

“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House,” Bennet said. “So for me, this isn’t a question about polling. It’s not a question about politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country.”

'The stakes are so high'

Democratic donors have contributed hundreds of millions of donors, and many are sticking by Biden.

But some high-profile fundraisers are beginning to argue that, while they admire Biden and his record, the importance of congressional races and Trump's threat to democracy mean Biden should be replaced with someone more vigorous.

Actor George Clooney − a major Democratic donor who just last month co-hosted a lucrative Hollywood fundraiser for Biden − called for a new nominee in a New York Times opinion piece.

"We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate," Clooney wrote.

Filmmaker Rob Reiner, another deep-pocketed Democratic donor, shared the opinion piece on X, formerly known as Twitter and add that "We acknowledge all he has done for our country. But Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside."

Several former Obama aides and administration officials have been among the loudest voices calling for change.

"The stakes are so high the idea that we voluntarily just shrug our shoulders and say let's pretend everything's fine, when we have a candidate who is clearly not up to the task, no matter what his prior achievements, and polls make it crystal clear that neither the public at large nor Democratic voters feel okay about him as candidate like this is just crazy," said Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown University law professor who served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations.

She and Democratic high-dollar donor Ted Dintersmith have proposed a blitz mini-primary to choose a new candidate before the Democratic National Committee Convention. They called the debate stumble an "opportunity" for the Democratic Party to bring in a fresh face and not acting is hobbling their chances.

"Is having is having a weak, ineffective, confused president, with a strong team that is principled and believes in the rule of law that better than having a criminal who is determined to dismantle democratic institutions? It's still better, and I think there is still a chance that we persuade enough Americans that it's still better − but boy, that's an uphill battle," she said.

Brooks told USA TODAY that every day the party remains in limbo closes the window of winning the presidential election and securing the House and Senate.

"The space to do something different, to find a different candidate, and to give them a real running start that space is just getting smaller and smaller and smaller," she said. "I don't think it's too late. But I think every passing day, makes it harder. And if they don't decide and they don't decide and they don't decide, then they've decided."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: For Democrats, Biden losing poses an existential threat