Sen. Mark Warner works to rally Senate Democrats to call on Biden to drop out of the race

Warner’s spokeswoman, Rachel Cohen, would not confirm or deny that the senator thinks Biden needs to drop out of the race, but issued a statement that said: “Like many others in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president’s campaign, and he has made that clear to the White House.”

On Friday afternoon, Biden said from Wisconsin that he would “defeat Donald Trump.”

“I’m not going to let a 90-minute debate ruin three and a half years of work. I’m going to stay in the race,” he said.

Biden told reporters he had spoken to at least 20 members of Congress and that they were all telling him “to stay in the race.” When asked about Warner’s concerns, Biden said he was the “only one” pushing him to step aside. “Nobody else is asking me to do that,” he said.

Various tactics are being discussed as senators with growing concerns consider how best to convey their concerns to the president.

Among the options under consideration is a White House meeting between senators and Biden. While some senators do not want Biden to step down, supporters of the meeting argue that they could use that forum to air heartfelt concerns in person. While no sitting Democratic senator has publicly called for Biden to step down, they have shared growing concerns with each other privately over the past week as they fight an already uphill battle to maintain their Senate majority.

As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Warner is seen as a serious voice privately advocating for the president’s ouster. He represents a state that Democrats must win in November to maintain their grip on the White House.

There is a growing consensus among Senate Democrats that the situation with Biden at the top of the ticket is untenable, and senators are trying to determine how best to convey that message to an isolated president. Some senators do not believe Biden has people around him who are giving him an accurate picture of the consequences, according to a Democratic senator and a senior Democratic aide.

Still, many senators are in wait-and-see mode. Many want to see how Biden fares in his interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday night and at his rally in Wisconsin before committing to taking such a drastic step.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) told senators to try to wait to make any moves until there is more polling data on where Mr. Biden and Democrats stand, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Polling data is unlikely to be reliable until later this month because of the July Fourth holiday and the boost that Republicans are expected to receive from their national convention, some Democrats argued.

Warner has not commented publicly on Biden’s debate performance, though many of his colleagues posted early messages of support while privately worrying about the fallout.

“The bottom line is that Joe Biden is our president. He’s a patriotic American. He’s done a good job. He puts others first, not himself,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Warner’s co-senator who is running for reelection this fall, said at a recent campaign stop, according to a report in the Progress-Index newspaper. “He had a race that was an existential race in 2020, and he had to win it. He’s built a great record as president.”

If Warner’s group materializes, it would be a major shift in how Democrats are assessing whether Biden can stay in the race against Trump.

In August 1974, three Republican congressional leaders went to the White House to inform President Richard M. Nixon that he no longer had enough support to survive impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Nixon resigned two days later.

In this case, Democratic senators, many of whom know Biden personally and like him, are concerned about Biden’s future and prospects after his debate performance raised questions about his mental acuity and health.

“I think there’s a sense among many that the current path may not be sustainable for him,” said one Democratic senator, describing the general mood of the caucus. “Not just because of the debate, but because of how well he’s going to do in the future. He obviously has to show strength now.”

Senators have been in their home states since the debate but have been communicating by phone, venting their concerns and trying to chart a path forward. Schumer has publicly endorsed Biden.

Warner, these people say, is ready to make the case now.

The former Virginia governor and former businessman has occasionally criticized the Biden administration for its decision to promote content on TikTok and its handling of an investigation into classified documents. In 2023, Warner was one of eight Democrats to ask Biden in a letter to commit more resources to protecting the southern border.

Warner has often been a moderate negotiator in the Senate, including helping negotiate the 2021 infrastructure bill.