Close Pelosi ally Schiff calls on Biden to drop reelection bid

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is calling on President Joe Biden to “pass the torch” and step aside from the 2024 presidential race — a move that could jumpstart more calls from other elected Democrats for Biden to step aside.

Schiff, who is expected to become California’s next senator, is a former House Intelligence Committee chair. He is also a close ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been privately fielding caucus concerns about Biden.

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement, first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

“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 added.

Schiff is among 20 Democrats — 19 in the House and one in the Senate — who have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race. Many more have raised concerns about his candidacy without specifically calling for him to leave the ticket.

He is also the first elected Democrat to call on Biden to step aside since Saturday night’s assassination attempt against Trump. That shooting had temporarily frozen the growing Democratic rebellion against Biden. But the statement from Schiff, who is widely respected in the party, will likely be seen as political cover for more Democrats to come forward.

A Schiff representative did not say if the Los Angeles Democrat had cleared his statement with Pelosi. But the two are usually politically aligned. Pelosi endorsed Schiff's Senate bid early, helping him to consolidate support from donors and much of the California delegation.

The Trump era transformed Schiff into a national figure as he became a principal antagonist of the then-president, helping to lead impeachment proceedings. Schiff has trumpeted that history in his Senate bid.

Now, the specter of another Trump term has pushed Schiff to break with the sitting president — a notable development given Schiff's standing as a loyal establishment Democrat.