Lloyd Doggett applauds Biden for stepping out of the race for president

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, the first congressional Democrat to publicly ask Biden to pull out of the race, called the president’s decision “courageous.”

By Katy McAfee & Audrey McGlinchy, KUT | Sarah Asch, Texas StandardJuly 21, 2024 2:47 pm, ,

From KUT News:

Democrats from the Austin area commended President Joe Biden on his decision Sunday to step down as the Democratic nominee for president.

Biden’s announcement came after a dismal debate performance last month, and amid concerns about how his age and mental acuity might weaken his candidacy.

“Once again President Biden comes through for America, putting country over ego in a way that Donald Trump never could,” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He called the President’s decision “courageous.”

“Today’s courageous action caps decades of selfless service and opens the door to a Convention that can build on our progress and prevent a takeover of our country by [former President Donald] Trump and his gang,” Doggett said.

Doggett was the first congressional Democrat to publicly ask Biden to pull out of the race earlier this month. Democrats across the country followed suit, with eventually former President Barack Obama calling on his former vice president to leave the race.

» MORE: From high praise to calls for immediate resignation, Texas officials react to Biden decision

Speaking with Texas Standard on Monday, Doggett said he has no issue offering his full-fledged support to Vice President Kamala Harris if she becomes the nominee but that he wants to safeguard a democratic process for picking a candidate.

“I think she’s the most probable candidate for our nominee, and she will do an outstanding job of it. I’ve been impressed in less than 24 hours that she seems to have won the endorsement of almost every other person who is mentioned as a possible contender,” Doggett said. “I’ve just favored a process – since calling three weeks ago for the president to step aside – that would be fair, open and democratic and open to all. It is open to all.

“But if she has won the support of all the other possible contenders, it will look a little different. I believe that there is great enthusiasm around her.”

Doggett said he knew he was stepping out on a limb when he called on Biden to step out of the race.

“My concern the morning after the debate was so deep, I sought out every member of our leadership, prior leadership and my colleagues to say we must seek a replacement,” he said. “When I saw, a couple/three days later, after visiting with folks in Texas, that no one was stepping forward, I thought the risk of a Trump presidency was so severe, losing our democracy to him, that I just felt I had to do this for the best of our country.”

» MORE: ‘Uncharted territory’: Texas’ Democratic delegates face historic moment after Biden withdraws, backs Harris

As for a possible “Democrats in disarray” narrative if the party and its voters take the time they need to finalize the nomination process during the convention, Doggett said he’s not worried.

“We’re Democrats. We’re always a little bit in disarray. It’s always a little messy. That’s the nature of being a diverse party, rather than one that just falls completely in line behind an authoritarian figure like Donald Trump,” he said. “I believe in democracy with a small ‘d.’ I think that it’s sometimes messy. But it usually yields the best result.

“I think either way we go, we will be united coming out of Chicago and ready to present the country with a clear alternative in this case, most likely between someone who has prosecuted fraud, sexual abuse, and someone who’s committed both.”

On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat representing Austin, thanked Biden.

“He united Democrats to save our democracy from Trump and our economy from COVID. He stood up to corporations and protected workers like no other president in my lifetime,” Casar said in an emailed statement. “There’s much more to say, but for now: Thank you, Joe Biden.”

Biden had been scheduled to visit Austin earlier this month to speak at the LBJ Presidential Library. His trip was canceled after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

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