President Joe Biden continues to face increased pressure to drop out of the presidential race and pass the torch. But some Bay Area leaders are not convinced he should drop the race.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, is the latest to call on the president to drop his reelection bid saying the “nation is at a crossroads” and that there are “serious concerns.” Schiff’s comments came the same day the White House and Biden’s physician confirmed he has COVID-19.
Despite the president's perceived frail condition, physically and in the race, Bay Area congressman Mark Desaulnier said Biden deserves more respect.
“These concerns are legitimate,” Desaulnier said. “It’s part of the Democratic process. We should be open. But I also think we should be respectful.”
Senator Alex Padilla in Milwaukee said he is still behind a Biden-Harris ticket come November.
“Until he decides otherwise, he is our nominee. And we have 109 days ahead of us to make sure we win in November,” Padilla said.
With three-and-a-half months left till the general election, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat who represents a region stretching from south San Jose to Santa Cruz and Monterey County to northern San Luis Obispo County, said he isn’t ruling anything out.
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“The conversations I’ve had with all levels of the Democratic party and the President’s campaign is that things need to change,” Panetta said. “Be it the messaging needs to get better. Or eventually, if that doesn’t work, we need to change the messenger.”
Panetta added that if Biden chooses to drop out of the race the party has a deep bench, with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top.
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As of Thursday morning, the president is still displaying symptoms associated with his recent Coronavirus infection.
