Biden rejects Democratic lawmaker calls to step down

President Biden on Monday bluntly rejected suggestions that he bow out of the presidential race in a letter to congressional Democrats, arguing it would undermine the preference of voters and ignore his record.

“I have heard the concerns that people have—their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this selection. I am not blind to them,” Biden wrote.

“I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024,” he added.

Biden noted millions of voters cast ballots in Democratic primaries backing him as the nominee and asked lawmakers if they would suggest that process did not matter by urging him to step aside.

“I decline to do that,” he wrote to lawmakers. “I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned..

“The voters – and the voters alone – decide the nominee of the Democratic Party. How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party?” he wrote “I cannot do that. I will not do that.”

The letter comes amid growing calls for Biden to drop out of the race from congressionaly Democrats. While those public voices are now a tiny fraction of Democratic membership in the House and Senate, their numbers are expected to grow as the House and Senate return to the Capitol this week.