Vice President Harris receives help from Capitol Hill whereas Biden is remoted attributable to Covid

US Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign rally. This is her seventh visit to North Carolina this year and her 15th trip to the state since taking office on July 18, 2024 in Fayetteville, NC, USA.

Peter Zay | Anadolu |

Vice President Kamala Harris has received increasing public support among Democratic lawmakers as a possible successor to President Joe Biden should he decide to drop out of the race against former President Donald Trump.

California Rep. Mark Takano on Saturday became the 36th Democrat on Capitol Hill to formally call on Biden to drop out of the race, adding that he believes Harris should be the one to lead the electoral rolls.

“President Biden's greatest achievement remains saving democracy in 2020. He can and must do it again in 2024 – by passing the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee,” Takano said in a statement.

“It has become clear to me that the demands of a modern election campaign can best be met by the vice president, who can seamlessly transition into the role of standard-bearer for our party,” he said.

In early July, Takano was one of several senior Democratic committee members who raised concerns about Biden's re-election campaign in a private meeting with House Democratic leadership.

Chairman Mark Takano of the House Veterans Affairs Committee (D-CA) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on August 10, 2022, alongside members of the congressional delegation who recently traveled to the Indo-Pacific region.

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Although some Democrats are eager to hold a public convention in the event of Biden's departure, Takano is positioning herself within the party movement that sees Harris as the rightful heir to the campaign with at least $91 million.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said Saturday that Harris was “ready to step in and unite the party” should the president decide to drop out of the race. Warren has not officially called on Biden to drop out of the race.

“Joe Biden is our nominee. He has a very big decision to make, but we are very fortunate to have Vice President Kamala Harris. Eighty million people voted for her to step in when she is needed,” Warren said in an interview on MSNBC's “The Weekend.”

“Look, when you're going up against a convicted felon, a prosecutor like Kamala is really the right person to represent that case,” she added.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) faces reporters during a break in a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum for all U.S. Senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 13, 2023.

Julia Nikhinson | Reuters

Since Biden's stumbling debacle against Trump on June 27, growing concerns about his age and his chances of winning in November have left deep fissures in the Democratic Party, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists urging him to drop out of the candidacy, even as he has defiantly pledged to stay in the race.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that some donors are providing financial resources to vet possible vice presidential candidates in the event of a change on the Democratic ticket.

While the rifts between the Democrats are widening, the president is still in isolation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, due to a Covid infection.

The Biden team continues to publicly and defiantly reject mounting pressure to withdraw, pledging that the president will stay in the race and return to the campaign trail once he recovers from Covid.

“As soon as we get the green light, we will be back on the campaign trail,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters on Saturday morning.

Tyler said Biden is expected to begin campaigning “in earnest” again next week.

Biden completed the sixth round of the antiviral Covid treatment Paxlovid on Saturday and was “recovering steadily,” according to an update from his doctor Kevin O'Connor.

In the meantime, Harris is carrying the campaign's message. On Saturday, she spoke at a fundraiser in Massachusetts that raised over $2 million. And on Friday, Harris participated in a conference call with Democratic donors where she reiterated her support for Biden, according to NBC News.

“We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our President Joe Biden,” she said. “We will win this election. We will win.”

Conservatives have so far basked in the emerging divisions within the Democrats, especially following the Republican National Convention, a four-day, joyous celebration in honor of Trump, their officially appointed candidate.

On Saturday, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Trump's new running mate, took advantage of pressure from Democrats and called on Biden not only to drop out of the race but to resign from his post altogether.

“Anyone who calls on Joe Biden to drop his candidacy without also calling on him to resign is demonstrating absurd cynicism,” Vance wrote in a post on X. “Anyone who can't run cannot stay in office. He should resign now.”

Some of Biden's allies are staying out of the pressure campaign and instead supporting the path the president chooses.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example, were “respectful” of Biden's decision to keep his campaign alive, two people familiar with the Clintons' thinking told NBC News on Saturday.

The Clintons have actively sought to maintain donor support for Biden and have told the White House they would help wherever they could, the people said.

While Biden has acknowledged concerns about his age, he remains adamant about his re-election bid, partly blaming the media for focusing too much on his policy weaknesses, even as some recent polls reflect his waning approval ratings.

Protesters from a grassroots group called Pass the Torch gathered on the sidewalk outside the White House on Saturday, praising Biden's record as president but calling on him to withdraw his candidacy for a second term.

“We are ready to unite behind a new candidate and do everything in our power to kick Donald Trump's ass in the November election,” shouted Aaron Regunberg, one of the organization's leaders. “We're begging you, Joe, if you're listening, be the hero. Be the public servant, be the leader we see in you. Pass the torch.”