10th House Rep Calls On Biden To Step Aside

US Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D-MI) has become the 10th House Rep, along with one Senator, to issue a statementcalling on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

• Scholten said Biden should "step aside" for "the good of our democracy," but noted she should would back him in November if he were to secure the Democratic Party nomination.
• Scholten's position is notable as she, along with Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) who came out opposed to Biden yesterday, is a frontline Democrat whose job could be at risk if Biden's candidacy presents a drag on down-ballot incumbents.
• She is also the first Michigan Rep in the 'out' column, significant considering Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) is regularly cited as a potential Dem nominee despite denying she would run.
• Sabato's Crystal Ball notes the electoral impact of a weak Biden ticket, a dynamic which is likely to influence more frontliners to come out against Biden: "If the national popular vote were tied, we would expect Donald Trump to carry 10 additional House seats, compared to his 2020 result.— If Trump won the popular vote by closer to three points, about where national polling suggests he is now, he could be positioned to flip about two-dozen previously Biden-won districts."
• Jake Sherman at Punchbowl notes that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he’s looking forward to concluding his talks with “every single” House Democrat about Biden. And then …. “We'll convene as a leadership team and figure out the next step.”
• Polymarket now shows Biden with a 61% implied probability of dropping out of the race and with a 12% implied probability of winning the election.
• As noted earlier, the key moment today will be Biden's NATO presser at 18:30 ET 23:30 BST. If Biden delivers a weak performance, his shaky grasp on the nomination will become more untenable.