More Democrats call on Biden to exit; his team says he is 'absolutely' still in the race

President Biden is "absolutely" in the race for a second term, his campaign leader said Friday, just as more Democratic lawmakers called on Biden to leave the contest.

Rep. Jared Huffman of San Rafael wrote a joint statement with Reps. Marc Veasey of Texas, Jesús “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin urging the president to “face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign." Rep. Zoe Lofgren of San José, a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, was one of five additional lawmakers who had issued separate statements by Friday afternoon, part of a new wave of pressure on Biden at a moment that many see as crucial.

Later Friday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown posted a statement on X, the social media platform, saying, "I think the President should end his campaign." Brown is locked in a tough reelection contest.

Lofgren, in her letter sent Thursday and released Friday, noted her role on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

"I know, perhaps as well as anyone, how unsuitable Donald Trump is to be President," she wrote, calling the former president "a grave threat to the Constitutional order and rule of law."

"Simply put," she added to Biden, "your candidacy is on a trajectory to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races down ballot."

In an interview with The Times, she said she went public because "time is running out."

"Many members are privately expressing concerns. A growing number are publicly expressing concerns, because this isn't just about us," she said. "This is about America's future."

Huffman has been urging Biden and other Democrats to consider the issue for weeks and to delay the official nominating process, but he had not specifically called on the president to exit until Friday. There has been speculation that Biden might leave the race on his own, but many lawmakers who have expressed private doubt about his prospects are expected to go public if he does not.

The group of lawmakers who went public in Huffman's joint statement is significant because they come from factions of the party that have largely stuck with Biden: Huffman is a leading progressive; Veasey is the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Biden out of the race; Garcia is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which has also sided with keeping Biden in the race.

The statement does not specify a replacement or a process for finding one but gives a nod to Biden's running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats have been divided over whether to hold an open process or anoint Harris in the event Biden drops out.

"Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment," the statement continues. "Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign."

Lofgren, in an interview, said there would need to be an accelerated process held before the convention, which begins Aug. 19. "That can't just be an automatic," she said, calling Harris "the likeliest front-runner."

Harris, meanwhile, spoke with donors in a conference call Friday that included Reid Hoffman, one of the most influential Democratic funders in Silicon Valley. The call, first reported by the New York Times, was confirmed by two people familiar with the situation who requested anonymity.

Field organizers and Harris, who spoke on the call, conveyed the message that the party infighting needs to stop, according to one of the people familiar with the call.

"We are going to win," said Harris, who went on to criticize Trump's Thursday night convention speech and praise Biden, according to a person who listened to the call.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a leading progressive voice who has been urging Democrats to stick with Biden, said on social media late Thursday that the process of replacing him could be chaotic.

"If you think that there is consensus among the people who want Joe Biden to leave, that they will support Kamala — Vice President Harris — you would be mistaken," she said. "They are interested in removing the whole ticket."

Biden and his team remain steadfast publicly that he will stay in the race, arguing he has the best chance of winning.

"We're looking at polling. We're seeing ... what a lot of people are seeing, of course," said Biden's campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillon, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "But we're also looking at a lot of numbers that matter, which is what is happening on the ground."

Dillon said that the campaign is built for a close race and that opinions of Trump are "hardened." She argued that Trump would not gain voters concerned about Biden; Democrats simply need to win them back by knocking on doors and other organizing efforts.

She said Biden, who has had no public events since a COVID-19 diagnosis late Wednesday, would return to the campaign trail next week.

Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a public memo that the president's cough and hoarse voice remain but "have improved meaningfully," while he is breathing well and has clear lungs.

"We know that we've slipped a bit from the debate," Dillon said, referring to Biden's dismal performance last month that set off Democratic concerns. "And we know that the president has to prove to the American people exactly what he believes, that he's in this to win, that he can do this."

Biden has been under extreme pressure to leave the race, pressure that has intensified this week as party leaders see national and swing state polling that make his path to victory look dire. Multiple reports have suggested he could leave the race this weekend. Polls show large majorities of voters, including Democrats, would also like him to withdraw from the campaign.

"He’s so proud, stubborn and dug-in," said one person who is part of the campaign and requested anonymity to speak candidly. "I think about all of the old-timers I’ve worked for and how they would react in his shoes. Not sure they’d be any different. These guys typically get forced out, leave in an ambulance, or in cuffs."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .