Two more Illinois House Democrats have called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election, coming on the day of a critical press conference following this week's NATO summit in which he aimed to quell concerns from within his own party.
Brad Schneider, who represents the state's 10th congressional district along much of the suburban North Shore, praised Biden's work in office while calling for him to "heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership" in a statement Thursday afternoon, hours before the press conference.
"In passing the torch now, President Biden has a chance to live up to this standard and seal his place in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation, and history, has ever known. He can lead the transition of power to a new generation that can build a stronger party and a stronger nation," Schneider's statement said in part.
Following Biden's Thursday solo press conference, 17th District Illinois Rep. Eric Sorenson, who represents the Quad Cities region as well as parts of the Rockford and Peoria areas, tweeted he hoped Biden would "step aside."
In his statement, Schneider called a second Trump administration "an absolute threat to the very core of our nation," saying that Trump is "publicly committed to undermining our constitution and the democratic republic it established."
5th District Representative Mike Quigley called for Biden to step aside last week.
In addition to Quigley, Sorenson and Schneider, 15 other House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have called for Biden to end his reelection efforts, with concerns over his chances in the November election amplified after a shaky debate performance late last month.
Biden is slated to return to the campaign trail with a trip to the battleground state of Michigan on Friday, ahead of an interview with NBC's Lester Holt on Monday.
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