Julián Castro, the former secretary of housing and urban development, reportedly stated on Tuesday that Joe Biden ought to withdraw from the presidential contest since he is “very likely” to lose in November against former President Trump.
One of the first well-known Democrats to openly call for the president’s resignation following his dismal debate performance last week was Castro, who served in the Obama administration and briefly challenged Biden in 2020.
“Joe Biden is a good man and has been a good president. But last week’s debate disturbingly demonstrated that he is unable to effectively prosecute the case against Donald Trump — much less inspire and mobilize voters to the polls.” Castro said.
“Sadly, President Biden is not the campaigner he was in 2020 — and looks very likely to lose to Trump, one of the weakest candidates in presidential history. I am convinced that a number of other Democrats, including Vice President Harris, stand a better chance of winning.” he continued.
Those urging the incumbent to withdraw from the campaign have ranked Harris as their top choice to replace Biden because they believe she has a better chance of beating Trump.
The vice president has openly supported Biden.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first Congressman still in office to urge Biden to withdraw from the contest and to support Harris in assuming the role.
While they have not urged Biden to resign, some members, such as close ally Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), have stated they would support Harris in the event that Biden does.
In a CNN survey conducted on Tuesday, Trump leads Biden by 6 points nationally, with 43% of respondents supporting him compared to 49%.
According to the same study, the former president was ahead of Harris by a smaller margin—47 percent to 45 percent.
Additionally, according to the survey, 56% of Democratic voters and independent voters with a Democratic leaning believe that someone other than Biden would give their party a better chance of winning the presidency.
Out of these voters, only 43% stated they thought the incumbent was the best choice.
[READ MORE: White House Denies Biden Is Considering Stepping Down]
