U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, has joined a growing number of members of congress who are calling on President Joe Biden to end his 2024 campaign for president.
Mr. Sorensen, a freshman lawmaker facing his first re-election campaign after a competitive race two years ago, said this in his July 11 statement:
“President Joe Biden is a good man who has spent the bulk of his life in service to our country. His work has been devoted to growing the middle class and building opportunity for all people. In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again.”
“It is more important than ever that our neighbors have a candidate for president who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country. Someone who can demonstrate the strength and wisdom needed to lead us through the worst storms. A leader who will stand up to the present threats against democracy.
“Every day, I remain committed to the people of Central and Northwestern Illinois. I believe our best days are still ahead. And today, I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for president.”
He joins two other Illinois congressmen who have urged President Biden to step down. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a downstate Democrat, said during an appearance on MSNBC that Mr. Biden’s legacy was set and it was time to “let someone else do this.” And Rep. Brad Schneider, whose district hosts next month’s Democratic Party Convention, said Mr. Biden should “heroically pass the torch to a new generation… to guide us to the future he has enabled.”
Meanwhile, a top Illinois Democrat and one of Mr. Biden’s staunchest supporters, Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared to air some concerns about the presidential race inadvertently picked up by a hot microphone at a recent crime-fighting event, according to a CBS Chicago affiliate.
“I mean, we’re just going to keep fighting. I don’t know what to say. You know, got to do what we have to do. I don’t like where we are, but …” the governor said.
When a reporter contacted Jordan Abudayyeh, deputy chief of communications for Gov. Pritzker’s office, she told the CBS affiliate it “sounds like (Pritzker) was talking about the state of the presidential race.”
