2024 election updates: Manchin the latest to call on Biden to end reelection bid

More Democrats called for Biden to bow out of the race.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024, 9:06 AM EDT

President Joe Biden faced a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continued to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.

A poor debate performance against Donald Trump in June reignited questions about Biden's age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. While Biden defiantly insisted he was staying the course, he later announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

Click here for the latest live updates on the 2024 election.

Jul 19, 2024, 5:48 PM EDT

Additional House member calls for Biden to step aside

Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico called for Biden to end his campaign in a post on X Friday afternoon.

"With abortion rights under attack and our Democracy at stake, we must unite to defeat Donald Trump and MAGA extremists," he wrote.

Vasquez, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is the 12th congressional Democrat to call for Biden to end his campaign on Friday.

In total, 36 House and Senate Democrats have publicly made the call.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Jul 19, 2024, 5:36 PM EDT

Biden campaign responds to growing number of calls to step aside

After 11 congressional Democrats on Friday joined calls for Biden to step aside, his campaign said it recognizes that the "urgency" of beating Donald Trump has led some Democrats to publicly abandon their support of the president leading the ticket—though they remain confident the party will unite by November.

"While the majority of the caucus and the diverse base of the party continues to stand with the President and his historic record of delivering for their communities, we’re clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently," Biden campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement to ABC News following Friday's defections.

"We all share the same goal: an America where everyone gets a fair shot and freedom and democracy are protected," Ehrenberg added. “Unlike Republicans, we’re a party that accepts – and even celebrates – differing opinions, but in the end, we will absolutely come together to beat Donald Trump this November."

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Jul 19, 2024, 5:36 PM EDT

Donors furious on call with Harris and voter outreach organizers: Sources

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to calm the panic during a call Friday afternoon with major Democratic donors, and told them, "We are going to win this election," one attendee on the call told ABC News.

Harris made the call with a person representing a Latino-focused organization and another representing a Black-focused organization, according to a source with knowledge of the call.

Their message was to "plead" to the donors who have been calling on Biden to drop out to stop and resume funding, according to the source.

"We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: Our President, Joe Biden," Harris said during the call, according to the attendee.

"With every decision he makes in the Oval Office, he thinks about how it will impact working Americans. And I witness it every day. Now contrast that with what we heard last night."

The representative of the Latino-focused organization said they have spoken to thousands of people in swing states and out of those thousands of conversations, the debate came up only two times; these average voters were most worried about inflation and the economy.

Harris did not take questions, according to the attendee.

Some donors were furious, with some expecting the call to be about replacing Biden and they did not want to be lectured, the attendee said. As the call was wrapping up, one furious donor started going on a rant and the call ended in the middle of it.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

Jul 19, 2024, 5:34 PM EDT

Biden campaign holds all-staff call to boost morale: Sources

The Biden campaign held an all-staff call Friday afternoon to boost morale, sources familiar told ABC News.

The call was held with campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and former Biden Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, sources said

"When you give me polls, I'm going to give you direct voter contact,” O’Malley Dillon said, according to a source.

"The people that the president is hearing from ... are saying, 'Stay in this race and keep going and keep fighting, and we need you.' Those voices will never be as loud as the people on TV, but remember that the people in our country are not watching cable news," she added.

The call was presentation-style on Zoom and questions were not taken, according to sources.

-ABC News' Selina Wang and MaryAlice Parks

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