‘The Replace Biden Movement is Back’: House Democrats Reportedly Re-Launch Behind-the-Scenes Biden Rebellion
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A letter is circulating among Democrats questioning the candidacy of President Joe Biden and plans for an early virtual roll call to cinch his nomination before the Democratic National Convention next month.
Axios’ Andrew Solender and Alex Thompson obtained and published the letter on Tuesday, and it is reportedly picking up steam after “brief respite” in debate about Biden’s candidacy following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
“People are back to being angry at Biden and a push to sign on to this letter is going around … the ‘replace Biden’ movement is back,” an anonymous House Democrat told the outlet.
Before the assassination attempt on Trump, more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers called for Biden to drop his reelection campaign over concerns about his age and stamina.
Two House Democrats who previously called on Biden to withdraw from the race — Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA) and Mike Quigley (R-IL) — both plan on signing the letter. Senior aides to two other “senior” Democrats also told Axios their bosses plan on backing it too.
New w/ @AndrewSolender
The Hill rebellion against Biden is resurfacing after a few quiet days
Here is the full letter protesting the DNC moving forward w/ the virtual roll call.
Rep. Susan Wild a swing-district House Dem told Axios she plans to signhttps://t.co/KiQINNP3LQ pic.twitter.com/FYbc1BFoju— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 16, 2024
The letter specifically condemns a plan to do an early virtual roll call to confirm Biden’s nomination before the convention even starts. If Democrats stick to the current plan, Biden would be confirmed weeks before the Democratic National Convention kicks off on Aug. 19.
“There is no legal justification for this extraordinary and unprecedented action which would effectively accelerate the nomination process by nearly a month,” the letter reads. “The ‘virtual roll call’ was initially proposed as necessary for meeting Ohio’s unique ballot requirements, but that is no longer a justification.”
The original argument for an early roll call was that Ohio moved its filing deadline past the DNC dates, but the letter argues this has been rectified and is no longer a factor.
The letter argues the move is “stifling debate” and “shutting down any possible change” to the Democratic ticket.
“It could deeply undermine the morale and unity of Democrats — from delegates, volunteers, grassroots organizers and donors to ordinary voters — at the worst possible time,” the letter reads.
