Senior Democrat Urges Biden to Drop Out of Presidential Race

Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., raises concerns about President Biden's fitness for office, citing his appearance and demeanor in a recent interview. Quigley calls for Biden to consider the impact his candidacy is having on down-ballot races and urges him to step down.

Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., has become the latest high-profile Democrat to express concern about President Biden's fitness for office, calling on him to drop out of the presidential race. Quigley's comments come after Biden's appearance on ABC News, where the congressman said the president looked "very frail" and was hurting Democrats by staying in the race.

"The polling is going in the opposite direction, and that’s what’s particularly concerning, and I can frankly see why. I don’t think it was a great interview. There were several things besides his very appearance that were concerning about what he said and how he said it," Quigley told CNN's John Berman.

Senior Democrat Urges Biden to Drop Out of Presidential Race

Quigley went on to describe Biden's appearance as "very frail" and his voice as "very soft." He also criticized the president's performance in the recent CNN debate, saying that it raised further concerns about his ability to handle the rigors of the office.

"Perceptions are absolutely ruling in things like this in a campaign. He looks very frail. His voice is very soft, it's not robust," he continued.

Senior Democrat Urges Biden to Drop Out of Presidential Race

Quigley also urged Biden to consider the impact his candidacy is having on down-ballot races. He warned that Biden's continued presence in the race could put Democratic candidates at risk.

"What I would stress to the president is that, ‘This isn’t just about you. It's not about loyalty. It's about being pragmatic.' We have to be honest with ourselves," he said.

Senior Democrat Urges Biden to Drop Out of Presidential Race

Quigley's comments add to the growing chorus of Democrats who have expressed concerns about Biden's age and fitness for office. Following Biden's rocky debate performance, several top House Democrats held a private meeting to discuss the state of the presidential race, with the consensus reportedly agreeing that it was time for the president to step down.

A recent Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll shows Biden trailing Trump in seven battleground states by just two points and leading Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin by five and three points, respectively. However, Quigley argued that the polling was not a reliable indicator of Biden's chances of winning the election.

Senior Democrat Urges Biden to Drop Out of Presidential Race

"I think frankly what hurts him, is the denial the president seems to have about how the polling was going," Quigley said.

Despite facing mounting calls to drop out of the race, Biden has remained steadfast in his commitment to stay in the race and compete against his GOP rival, former President Trump. Monday morning, Biden called into MSNBC's "Morning Joe" to insist once more that he was "not going anywhere."

The Biden-Harris campaign has also sent a memo to Hill offices touting the president's efforts to rally supporters in several swing states since the CNN debate. However, Quigley said he did not believe these efforts were enough to overcome the growing concerns about Biden's fitness for office.

"It's going to be an amazing, unfortunately, horrible week, but I do think the numbers will grow," he told Berman. "I don't know how the president will react to that."

Quigley described the situation as "painful" and "horrible" for Democrats. He said he hoped the president would reconsider his decision to stay in the race and step down to give the party a better chance of winning the election.