Grijalva becomes second House Dem to call for Biden to abandon reelection bid

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) became the second House Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to abandon his bid for a second term following his shaky debate performance last week.

In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Grijalva said the president should “shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.” The longtime Arizona Democrat indicated he would support Biden if he remains the Democratic nominee.

Grijalva, ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, becomes the second House Democrat after Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) to call for Biden to step aside, as frustration has mounted among rank-and-file lawmakers. However, his call takes on additional weight as a Democrat from a swing state carried by Biden in 2020 — a state where the president lags behind former President Donald Trump in public polling.

Two other frontline House Democrats — Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) — said in local media interviews Tuesday that they believe Biden would lose the presidential race to Trump.

Grijalva is also the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.