Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who is running for U.S. Senate from California, is calling on President Biden to drop out of the presidential race, the senator said in an exclusive statement to The Times on Wednesday.
Schiff, who is highly likely to win the Senate election, expressed “serious concerns” about whether Biden can beat former President Trump in November.
He is the latest Democrat to call on the incumbent president to stop campaigning amid growing concerns about his age and mental fitness to serve in the job. Biden appeared confused at times during a debate last month, but the concerns grew in earnest after his dismal performance.
Schiff said in a statement that Biden “has been one of the most significant presidents in our nation's history, and his lifetime of service as a senator, vice president and now president has made our country better.”
“But our country is at a crossroads,” he said. “President Trump's reelection would undermine the very foundations of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether he can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Schiff said “the choice whether to withdraw from the race rests solely with President Biden” but added that he believes it is time for Biden to “pass the baton” and “secure his legacy of leadership” by having another Democrat defeat Trump.
Schiff also said he would fully support whoever the leading Democratic nominee was, even if that remained Biden.
“I will do everything in my power to help them succeed,” Schiff said. “There is only one goal: to defeat Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”
Schiff is seeking the Senate seat long held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and currently held by Sen. LaFonza Butler, who was appointed by Governor Newsom to serve out the remainder of Feinstein's term, when she died in September.
Schiff, a prominent critic of President Trump and a leader in the congressional impeachment effort, is expected to win the November election. He will face Republican former Dodgers All-Star Steve Garvey after beating other leading Democratic candidates in a fierce primary earlier this year.
