Rep. Adam Schiff calls on Biden to drop out of the race

CNN
 — 

Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday became the most prominent elected Democrat to publicly call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race.

The announcement by Schiff, who is running for US Senate in California, makes him the first Democrat to urge Biden to step aside since the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend. Schiff’s call also is notable as he, unlike many of the other Democrats who have so far publicly called for Biden to drop out, is not in a swing district and he is close to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch. And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election,” Schiff said in a statement.

The California Democrat served as an impeachment manager during one of Trump’s impeachments and has been one of the sharpest critics of the former president. In his statement, Schiff praised Biden’s legacy but added, “our nation is at a crossroads.”

“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,” he continued.

Previously, in the aftermath of Biden’s disastrous performance in the CNN debate last month, Schiff would only go so far as to say the president “should take a moment to make the best-informed judgment” about the future of his campaign.

A Biden campaign official responded to the call from Schiff by pointing to a July 8 letter from Biden to congressional Democrats noting his intention to stay in the race, along with his support from Democratic lawmakers, like Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan, among others.

The Democratic Party remains roiled about the path forward amid fears that, in light of the debate, Biden cannot defeat Trump and he risks taking down-ballot Democrats with him in November. Earlier Wednesday, CNN reported that the Democratic National Committee is moving ahead with its controversial plan to virtually nominate Biden ahead of the Democratic convention in Chicago next month – ignoring the growing calls from some of the party’s elected officials to ditch that strategy given the serious ongoing debate about whether the president should continue to seek a second term.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

CNN’s Owen Dahlkamp, Priscilla Alvarez and Annie Grayer contributed to this report.