U.S. Rep. Sorensen calls for Biden to step aside from presidential reelection run

DIXON – The U.S. congressman representing northwestern and central Illinois has come forward and is asking that President Joe Biden step aside from the 2024 presidential race.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Rockford, said in a statement issued Thursday that although Biden is a good man who has spent the bulk of his life in service to the country, it is time for him to step away from seeking reelection in November.

“His work has been devoted to growing the middle class and building opportunity for all people,” said Sorensen, who represents Illinois’ 17th Congressional District including most of northwestern Illinois, Whiteside and Carroll counties, as well as parts of Rockford and Peoria. “In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president with the purpose of putting country over party. Today, I am asking him to do that again.

“It is more important than ever that our neighbors have a candidate for president who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country – someone who can demonstrate the strength and wisdom needed to lead us through the worst storms, a leader who will stand up to the present threats against democracy.

“Every day, I remain committed to the people of central and northwestern Illinois. I believe our best days are still ahead. And today, I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for president.”

Sorensen’s statement came on the heels of Biden’s Thursday night news conference and two weeks after Biden’s debate with Donald Trump. Biden has remained defiant that he’ll remain in the presidential race despite a debate performance that triggered a wave of calls for him to end his candidacy.

In the weeks since his debate debacle, Biden and his team have been on a relentless sprint to persuade fretting lawmakers, nervous donors and a skeptical electorate that at the age of 81, he still is capable of being president. But a spate of travel to battleground states, interviews with journalists and a rare solo news conference have done little to tamp down the angst within the party about Biden’s candidacy and his prospects against Trump in November.

Four years ago, Biden called himself a bridge to the next generation of leaders. But during Thursday night’s news conference, when asked why he no longer considers himself a “bridge” to the next generation, Biden responded that “what changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited in terms of the economy, foreign policy and domestic division.”

“We’ve never been here before,” Biden said. “And that’s the other reason why I didn’t, you say, hand off to another generation. I’ve gotta finish the job.”

So far, one Democratic senator and 16 House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has indicated that Biden still has a decision to make on whether to run even though the president has made it clear that he remains in the race.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.