WASHINGTON — A caucus of House Democrats is trying to stop the Democratic National Committee from crowning a snap Joe Biden As the party’s presidential nominee ahead of the August convention, he warned that it could be seen as quashing the heated debate over whether Biden should remain at the top of the ticket.
More than 20 Democrats signed the draft letter, obtained by NBC News, urging the DNC to put the brakes on holding a “virtual challenge” that formally nominates Biden in a process that could begin Sunday. The DNC was there first virtual roll was planning to call Before the Chicago convention to address problems with getting Biden on the ballot in Ohio, but state lawmakers they have since extended the ballot deadline until the convention.
The delay effort is being led by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., who has criticized Biden but has not formally called on him to step down, two sources familiar with the draft letter said. Reps. Mike Levin, D-Calif., and D-Pa. he has privately voiced concerns that it would hinder Biden’s chances for re-election.
“I certainly don’t think it should be a rushed decision,” Smith told NBC News.
Lawmakers criticized the DNC’s virtual convocation plan as “an extraordinary and unprecedented move that would effectively speed up the nominating process by nearly a month.”
“Some of us have called for President Biden to step down, some have called for him to stay in the race, and some of us are deeply concerned about the status of the president’s campaign but still undecided about what will happen.” MPs wrote in the draft letter.
“But we all agree that stifling debate and prematurely shutting down any possible change to the Democratic ticket through an unnecessary and unprecedented ‘virtual recall’ in the coming days is a terrible idea.”
In the letter, first The New York TimesDemocratic lawmakers have suggested that rushing the nomination process could dampen the enthusiasm of Democratic voters.
The letter reads: “Regardless of whether President Biden remains our nominee, Democratic unity and enthusiasm will be critical between now and November 5. We respectfully but firmly ask that you cancel and refrain from further accelerated ‘virtual recall’ plans .from any extraordinary procedures that may be perceived as limiting legitimate debate or attempting to force an early settlement of the party’s candidacy.
In turn, a defiant Biden says he’s not going anywhere and won the nomination fair and square in the primaries.
“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the Democratic Party candidate, right? I listen to them,” said Biden NBC News anchor Lester Holt in an interview Monday.
About 20 Democrats in Congress called on Biden to drop out of the race amid concerns that he would not be able to mount a strong campaign against former President Donald Trump. Then this effort was stopped Assassination attempt on Saturday About Trump, who was officially nominated Monday at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
But the letter, three days after he was shot at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, shows that some Democrats have not given up their efforts to dissuade Biden from officially becoming the party’s nominee.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, a Biden ally, retracted his suggestion that the call to nominate lawmakers had been moved earlier to give Biden a political advantage over his detractors.
“The proposal to speed up the timeline for the virtual call is wrong. The timeline for the virtual call process remains on schedule and remains unchanged from when the DNC made this decision in May,” Harrison said. “We are ready to nominate Joe Biden through a virtual call and with 99 percent of delegates supporting the Biden-Harris ticket in Chicago in August. We look forward to celebrating with fanfare together.”
Quentin Fulks, principal deputy manager of the Biden-Harris campaign, defended the decision to move forward with the virtual call, arguing that “Ohio Republicans have decided to gamble with the voting right for Biden” and that Democrats have an “obligation” to ensure that Biden’s name is heard. appears in the bulletin.
Republicans “tried to change the rules. “It’s our responsibility as a campaign to make sure President Biden is on the ballot, as well as Donald Trump,” Fulks said Tuesday.
Nnamdi Egwuonwu and Monica Alba contributed.