On Saturday, a beleaguered Joe Biden faced what could be the most critical weekend of his 50-year political career, as the number of Democratic members of Congress urging him to step aside continued to grow, 35 congressional Democrats have publicly urged Biden to withdraw from his re-election campaign following concerns over his recent debate performance against Republican rival Donald Trump.

These lawmakers represent a notable fraction of Biden’s party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Here’s a list of the 35 Democrats:

Key Senators calling for withdrawal

• Sherrod Brown (Ohio), running for re-election this fall.
• Martin Heinrich (New Mexico)
• Jon Tester (Montana), facing a tough re-election.
• Peter Welch (Vermont)

Representatives leading the call

• Marc Veasey (Texas), the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to call for Biden’s withdrawal.
• Jared Huffman (California), emphasising the need for a leadership change for electoral success.
• Chuy Garcia (Illinois), advocating for passing the torch to ensure Democratic victory.
• Mark Pocan (Wisconsin), former co-chair of the Progressive Caucus.

Also Read: | US Presidential Elections: Biden may step down as Obama, Pelosi join voices of concerns

Additional representatives urging Biden to step aside

• Mark Takano (California)
• Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)
• Ed Case (Hawaii)
• Sean Casten (Illinois)
• Jim Costa (California)
• Angie Craig (Minnesota)
• Lloyd Doggett (Texas)
• Raul Grijalva (Arizona)
• Jim Himes (Connecticut)
• Greg Landsman (Ohio)
• Mike Levin (California)
• Zoe Lofgren (California)
• Seth Moulton (Massachusetts)
• Betty McCollum (Minnesota)
• Morgan McGarvey (Kentucky)
• Scott Peters (California)
• Brittany Pettersen (Colorado)
• Mike Quigley (Illinois)
• Pat Ryan (New York)
• Adam Schiff (California)
• Brad Schneider (Illinois)
• Hillary Scholten (Michigan)
• Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey)
• Adam Smith (Washington)
• Eric Sorensen (Illinois)
• Greg Stanton (Arizona)
• Gabe Vasquez (New Mexico)

Also Read: | Democrats aim to nominate president in first week of August, as some push Biden to quit the race

Public opinion and survey findings

As per a survey,, a majority of adults, including 65% of Democrats, believe President Biden should step aside for his party to select a new nominee, reported AP.

The survey, conducted July 11-15, also highlighted that while Biden is perceived as more honest than Trump, Trump is considered more likely to win the election and better at handling crises.

Recovering from Covid-19 in self-isolation at his Delaware home, President Joe Biden is reportedly feeling “angry and betrayed” by his allies amid growing speculation that he might announce his withdrawal from the race. Despite these challenges, Biden remains steadfast, enduring high-profile demands for him to end his re-election campaign after a week of surprising moves by his party aimed at replacing him with a candidate deemed more likely to defeat Donald Trump.

Since his lackluster debate performance against Trump, the 81-year-old Biden has faced increasing calls to step down due to concerns about his age and mental acuity. However, his recent interviews, press conference, and speeches have done little to alleviate these concerns within the party.

(With inputs from Reuters, NBC News, The Washington Post)