Adam Schiff speaks to supporters during an election party in Los Angeles in March 2024. (Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times/TNS)
LOS ANGELES — Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, who is running for U.S. Senate in California, is calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, he said in an exclusive statement Wednesday to The Times.
Schiff, who is heavily favored to win his Senate race, cited “serious concerns” that Biden can beat former President Donald Trump in November.
He is the latest Democrat to call for the incumbent president of their own party to end his campaign amid growing concerns about Biden’s age and mental fitness to do the job — which began in earnest after a disastrous debate performance last month where Biden at times appeared confused.
In his statement, Schiff said Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better.”
“But our nation is at a crossroads,” he said. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Schiff said the “choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone,” but that he believes it is time for Biden “to pass the torch” and “secure his legacy of leadership” by allowing another Democrat to beat Trump.
Schiff also said he will fully support whoever ends up at the top of the Democratic ticket — including if it remains Biden.
“I will do everything I can to help them succeed,” Schiff said. “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”
Schiff is running for the Senate seat that was long held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, and is currently held by Sen. Laphonza Butler, a Newsom appointee to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term after her death in September.
Schiff — who has been a prominent critic of Trump and served as a leader in the congressional efforts to impeach him — is expected to win the race in November. He faces retired Dodgers All-Star Steve Garvey, a Republican, after beating out other leading Democratic contenders for the seat in a crowded primary earlier this year.
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