List of Democrats Who Want Biden To Drop Out of Race

As President Joe Biden gears up for the 2024 elections, a new poll shows that he is losing to Donald Trump in key swing states, prompting some Democrats to say he should drop out of the race.

A New York Times & Siena College poll released on Sunday showed Trump leading Biden in five out of the six battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

The only battleground state in which Biden has a lead is Wisconsin, by 2 percentage points, according to the survey. The recent poll numbers follow several Democrats who want Biden to drop out of the race, citing issues such as age.

Age has been a central point of discussion in the run-up to the election, with some criticizing Biden for his history of verbal gaffes and others pointing to slips made by the former Republican president.

David Axelrod, a political strategist who worked on Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns and served as a senior adviser in his administration, responded to the polling on X, formerly Twitter, and said it would spark "legitimate concern."

"It's very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict and Biden's team says his resolve to run is firm," Axelrod wrote.

Axelrod pointed to Biden's age by saying, "The greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can't change. Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction."

"Only Joe Biden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it's in his best interest or the country's?" Axelrod added.

Biden directly addressed concerns about his age at a fundraiser in New York City in September saying, "A lot of people seem a little focused on my age. I get it believe me, I know it more than anyone."

He added: "A couple of you are over 50 here. You know, with age comes wisdom. You have experience." He highlighted his competence in dealing with crises, saying that he knew what do to combat COVID and when Russian military forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While speaking with MSNBC host Jen Psaki, Rep. Pramila Jayapal said that Biden is in "great trouble," and noted the recent poll numbers, although she did not explicitly state that Biden should leave the race she pointed to the current Israel-Hamas conflict as a major issue impacting voters.

"I think it is important to recognize that we have a very divided country, as you well know. You have said that polls really don't reflect where people are. I agree with you. But I will tell you, this is the first time, Jen, that I have felt like the 2024 election is in great trouble, for the president and for our democratic control, which is essential to moving forward," Jayapal said.

"Because these young people, Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, but also young people, see this conflict as a moral conflict and a moral crisis. And they are not going to be brought back to the table easily with, you know, if we do not address this," Jayapal added.

Meanwhile in October, Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota announced he was leaving his position in House Democratic leadership over his party's support of Biden's 2024 reelection bid.

"My convictions relative to the 2024 presidential race are incongruent with the majority of my caucus, and I felt it appropriate to step aside from elected leadership," Phillips said in a statement in October.

Phillips has repeatedly said that he does not think Biden should run for reelection.

The concerns surrounding Biden's bid have been echoed for months in private conversation among Democratic leaders, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing that the mostly private conversations contain a sense of concern that hangs over the race.

In addition, according to the Journal, Miami Beach's former Democratic mayor Philip Levine said he is not supporting Biden

"It is a little bit like your grandfather running the company and you know that he's at a point now where the heirs could suffer value if we don't change management at the top," Levine said to the Journal.

Newsweek has reached out to Phillips, Biden, Axelrod and Levine via email for comment.

The New York Times/Siena College poll was conducted among 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin from October 22 to November 3, 2023. The margin of sampling error for each state is between 4.4 and 4.8 percentage points.