Democrat Warns Biden of Huge Election Losses: 'Horrible Situation'

Democratic Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois warned President Joe Biden of further election losses for the party, calling the current path a "horrible situation."

While appearing on CNN's News Central on Monday, Quigley spoke about his decision to call on Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential election and how Democrats are facing an election cycle that "is getting worse."

"The numbers that we're facing here, not just in the White House race but in all of these congressional races, are not getting better. So, we're in a horrible situation until that gets resolved," Quigley said.

Quigley, among the most outspoken House Democrats wanting Biden to leave the race, was also critical of Biden's Friday primetime interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

"It wasn't a great interview," he said. "There were things besides his appearance that were concerning...what he said and how he said it. Since then, things are not getting better, they're getting worse. He looks very frail. His voice is not robust. It's soft. But it's not how I perceive it, it's how the American people perceive it.

"It's not just the White House. All of these seats are going to be contested. The top of the ticket is essential. We're going the opposite direction, and the president has to respect that."

Down-ballot Democrats have exceeded expectations in swing states in recent years, especially when running on issues such as abortion. In the 2022 midterms, Democrats held a voting majority in the Senate, picked up several key victories in governors' races, and nearly missed controlling the House.

Representative Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, on Sunday shared Democrats' concerns about Biden hurting the party in down-ballot races.

"There are concerns with the impact on down-ballot races if the president doesn't do well," Schiff said.

NBC's Meet the Press host Kristen Welker then asked: "Is he dragging down down-ballot races as we speak?"

Schiff replied: "At present, our down-ballot candidates in the Senate and in the House are doing well. They're all ahead. They are running well ahead of the president. But you can only run so far ahead of the president.

"Obviously Joe Biden is gonna need to consider, for his own sake and his own legacy, can he beat Donald Trump? Is he the best to beat Donald Trump? But also, the profound impact this decision, maybe the most important of his presidency, will have on the House, on the Senate, on the future of the country."

Newsweek emailed the White House and Biden's campaign for comment regarding the recent comments by Quigley and Schiff.

Quigley's appearance on CNN came on the same morning that Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats, standing firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy. Biden called for an end to the drama that has split Democrats since his poor debate performance against Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Biden wrote in the two-page letter that "the question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for it to end." He stressed that the party has "one job," which is to defeat Trump in November.

"We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election," Biden said in the letter, distributed by his reelection campaign. "Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It's time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump."

Biden also appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe and insisted that "average Democrats" want him to stay in the race. He said he was "frustrated" by calls from party officials for him to step aside.

"They're big names, but I don't care what those big names think," Biden said.

He added that, if his critics are serious, they ought to "announce for president, challenge me at the convention" or rally behind him against Trump.