Top CT Democrat Calls For Biden To Exit 2024 Presidential Race

CONNECTICUT — Congressman Jim Himes, who represents the 4th District in Connecticut, has called for President Joe Biden to exit his presidential campaign.

Himes, the top ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, is the first among Connecticut's congressional delegation calling on Biden to exit the race. Himes' district covers 17 municipalities in Fairfield and New Haven Counties.

The Connecticut congressman's call for Biden to "step away from the presidential campaign" came Thursday evening following a press conference that wrapped up the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

Posting on X, Himes said: "Joe Biden’s record of public service is unrivaled. His accomplishments are immense. His legacy as a great president is secure. He must not risk that legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump."

The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump's MAGA authoritarianism."

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The Connecticut congressman is now among 17 House Democrats calling on the party to replace its bannerman in the 2024 contest. The uproar followed the president's disastrous performance in a debate against Republican rival, former president Donald Trump, two weeks ago.

Himes took the "hard reality" of his argument to MSNBC shortly after the debate, telling host Alex Wagner:

"At the end of the day, those things that are so important to politics must make way — as hard as it is — to the very difficult question, which is, 'Can we win this race and save our democracy?'"

President Biden doubled down against his growing cohort of critics during Thursday's press conference, saying, "I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat [Trump] once and I will beat him again."