US House Democrats, others protest virtual Biden nomination
Adds statements from DNC head and "Pass the Torch, Joe"
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) -At least three U.S. House of Representatives Democrats were preparing to sign a letter protesting a plan to speed up the official party approval of President Joe Biden's reelectionbid, the lawmakers' offices said on Tuesday.
The three lawmakers are among a growing number of Democrats upset by plans to hold a "virtual roll call" vote on Biden's becoming the nominee as soon as July 21, instead of waiting for theDemocratic National Convention being held on Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Democratic Representatives Susan Wild, Mike Quigley and Jared Huffman plan to sign the letter, representatives of each lawmaker said when contacted by Reuters.
"Stifling debate and prematurely shutting down any possible change in the Democratic ticket through an unnecessary and unprecedented 'virtual roll call' in the days ahead is a terrible idea," said a copy of the draft letter seen by Reuters. "It could deeply undermine the morale and unity of Democrats."
The virtual nomination was originally planned to beat an Ohio state deadline for placing candidates on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election that fell before the Democrats' August convention. But Ohio extended the deadline, negating that obstacle, the letter to the DNC argued.
In response to criticism, DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said on X that the Ohio extension would not take effect in time. He also disputed reports that he has said the virtual vote could happen as soon as next week. "The only thing you have heard us say is that we must get this done by August 5th to give us time to comply by August 7th," he said.
Pass the Torch, Joe, a group pressuring Biden to drop out of the presidential race, accused the DNC in a statement of potentially engaging in "an undemocratic, and perhaps even Trumpian, maneuver," deepening the Democrats' internal bickering.
The latest effort follows a call by 19 congressional Democrats forBiden, 81, to end his campaign after hishalting June 27 debate performance against Republican challenger Donald Trump.
Representative Adam Schiff, a California Democrat running for his state's open Senateseat, who was not one of the 19, warned donors in a private meeting that his party would likely suffer major losses if Biden continued his reelection bid, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Schiff's campaign declined to comment.
Last month's debate raised concerns in the party about both Biden's ability to beat Trump and his fitness to hold the high-pressure job for another four years.
Thirty-nine percent of Democratic respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday said they believed that Biden should end his White House run, a slightly higher reading than the 32% who said that in a Reuters/Ipsos poll days after the debate.
The letter from the three lawmakers hasnot yet been sent to the DNC and was being circulated widely among House Democrats, according to congressional sources.
Democrats fear that a poor performance by Biden in the Nov. 5 election could cost their party not only control of the White House but both chambers of Congress, setting the stage for a second Trump administration that would be able to pursue its policy goals with almost no Democratic opposition.
Republicans followed their party's standard procedure in officially nominating Trump at their convention in Milwaukee on Monday.
If Biden were to drop out of his reelection campaign, the Democratic Party's top choice is Vice President Kamala Harris for its presidential nominee, multiple sources have said.
Some Democrats, however, could insist on a more open process that would allow other potential candidates to vie for the nomination, less than three months before the general election.
Reporting by Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub, Stephanie Kelly and Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell and Leslie Adler
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