'Overwhelming losses': Senior Democrat privately says Biden could cost Dems House, Senate

A senior Democrat from California who recently led the House Intelligence Committee told donors at a private fundraiser on Saturday that if President Joe Biden remains in the presidential race, Democrats could face overwhelming losses in the upcoming election.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is running for California's Senate seat, made the comment at a New York fundraiser over the weekend.

“I think if he is our nominee, I think we lose,” Schiff said, according to the New York Times. “And we may very, very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House.”

Schiff, who currently serves as a U.S. Representative for California's 28th congressional district, gained national prominence as the lead manager in the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in 2020.

Schiff isn't the only senior House Democrat quietly lobbying for Biden to drop out. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who made news last week for suggesting that Biden reconsider his decision to run for re-election, has quietly been working the phones in hopes of finding a way to ease him off the ticket, reports say.

"One of her colleagues was struck to see her chatting, furtively but openly, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week in a corner of the House Democratic cloakroom in plain sight of a dozen lawmakers," Politico's Jonathan Martin wrote.

"The extent of Pelosi’s behind-the-scenes role hasn’t been fully revealed and may never be if the former speaker has her way," Martin adds. "But I’m told by people familiar with the exchanges that she’s stage-managed phone calls to Jeffries, plotted strategy with the biggest names in Democratic politics and told one former elected official bluntly that Biden’s legacy can’t be destroying their party."

Prior to his political career, Schiff worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles and as a California state senator. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 after serving as a state legislator. In Congress, Schiff has focused on issues like national security, healthcare, and environmental protection. He is also an influential voice on intelligence matters given his prior committee leadership role.

Biden, for his part, says that he is staying in the race. He recently received support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who penned an editorial praising him in the New York Times. Biden also has strong support from Black Democratic lawmakers.