Politics & Government
Casten Joins IL House Members Calling For Biden To Withdraw From Race
"It breaks my heart to say it, but Biden is no longer up for that job," U.S. Rep. Sean Casten writes in op-ed for the Chicago Tribune.
![Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06] has joined a growing chorus of House members calling for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/44719/20240719/012920/styles/patch_image/public/sean-casten-headshot___19132910894.jpg)
DOWNERS GROVE, IL — U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06) has joined the growing number of Illinois House democrats calling for Joe Biden to abandon his bid for a second term as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
“It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Joe Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” wrote Casten in the Chicago Tribune. "... It breaks my heart to say it, but Biden is no longer up for that job."
Casten, whose district includes west suburban DuPage County, southwest suburban Cook and neighborhoods on Chicago’s Southwest Side, joins Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Mike Quigley (IL-05) in calling for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race.
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Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), continued to express confidence in Biden’s ability to defeat former president Donald Trump in November, warning that chaos would ensue in the party if Biden were to withdraw from the race.
Casten stated that if the upcoming election is a referendum on past performance, future promises and character, he had every confidence Biden would win, Casten said in his Tribune op-ed.
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Former President Barack Obama is also said to have conveyed to allies that Biden needs to consider the viability of his campaign “but has also made clear that the decision is one Biden needs to make,” AP reported.
Related: Biden Needs To 'Remind People Why You're The Right Guy,' Pritzker Says
Zeroing in on Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month, Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) issued a joint statement Friday morning urging Biden to pull out of the race, according to The Hill.
Read Casten’s full op-ed in the Chicago Tribune here.
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