Senator Hickenlooper Says Biden Exit Would Be In "Best Interests Of Country"

Senior Democrat Senator John Hickenlooper (D-C) told Reuters, "there are growing indications that a Biden exit from the presidential race would be good for America," but stopped short of directly calling on Biden to step aside.

• Reuters: Asked about Biden potentially stepping aside, Hickenlooper said: "That's his decision to make, but certainly there's more and more indications that that would be in the best interests of the country, I think."
• Reuters: "Hickenlooper said feedback from his constituents in Colorado - not donors, he said, and not insiders - showed overwhelmingly that average Democratic voters wanted Biden to step aside," undercutting a Biden camp argument that rebellion is driven by party elites.
• So far, Peter Welch (D-VT) is the only Senator to publicly call on Biden to withdraw, but high-profile Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA), favourite to win the California Senate seat in November, issued a statement yesterday urging Biden to "pass the torch" to another candidate.
• The statement, which likely came with the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was widely seen as providing cover for more senior Democrats to publicly state their objections.
• Polymarket now shows the implied probability of Biden dropping out at 67% - a 32% uptick from yesterday, prior to Schiff's statement and Biden's COVID-19 diagnosis.
• More analysis on the Democrat rebellion in today's edition of the MNI US Daily Brief. With around two weeks until Biden is expected to be formally confirmed as Democrat nominee, the next few days will be crucial if Democrats are to force a Plan B.