WASHINGTON (AP) — Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats at the highest levels are making a critical push fhttps://apnews.com/article/or President Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oe Biden thttps://apnews.com/article/o reevaluate his electihttps://apnews.com/article/on bid, with fhttps://apnews.com/article/ormer President Barack Obama expressing private chttps://apnews.com/article/oncerns thttps://apnews.com/article/o allies and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelhttps://apnews.com/article/osi privately telling Biden the party chttps://apnews.com/article/ould lhttps://apnews.com/article/ose the ability thttps://apnews.com/article/o seize chttps://apnews.com/article/ontrhttps://apnews.com/article/ol https://apnews.com/article/of the Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse if he dhttps://apnews.com/article/oesn’t step away frhttps://apnews.com/article/om the 2024 race.

Pelhttps://apnews.com/article/osi alshttps://apnews.com/article/o presented phttps://apnews.com/article/olling thttps://apnews.com/article/o Biden that she argued shhttps://apnews.com/article/ows he likely can’t defeat Republican Dhttps://apnews.com/article/onald Trump — thhttps://apnews.com/article/ough the fhttps://apnews.com/article/ormer speaker chttps://apnews.com/article/ountered Thursday in a sharp statement that the “feeding frenzy” frhttps://apnews.com/article/om anhttps://apnews.com/article/onymhttps://apnews.com/article/ous shttps://apnews.com/article/ources “misrepresents any chttps://apnews.com/article/onversatihttps://apnews.com/article/ons” she may have had with the president.

With time racing thttps://apnews.com/article/oward the party chttps://apnews.com/article/onventihttps://apnews.com/article/on next mhttps://apnews.com/article/onth, Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic unease is grhttps://apnews.com/article/owing at the White Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse and within the campaign at a fraught mhttps://apnews.com/article/oment fhttps://apnews.com/article/or the president and his party.

Obama has chttps://apnews.com/article/onveyed thttps://apnews.com/article/o allies that Biden needs thttps://apnews.com/article/o chttps://apnews.com/article/onsider the viability https://apnews.com/article/of his campaign but has alshttps://apnews.com/article/o made clear that the decisihttps://apnews.com/article/on is https://apnews.com/article/one Biden needs thttps://apnews.com/article/o make. The fhttps://apnews.com/article/ormer president has taken calls in recent days frhttps://apnews.com/article/om members https://apnews.com/article/of chttps://apnews.com/article/ongressihttps://apnews.com/article/onal leadership, Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic ghttps://apnews.com/article/overnhttps://apnews.com/article/ors and key dhttps://apnews.com/article/onhttps://apnews.com/article/ors thttps://apnews.com/article/o discuss their chttps://apnews.com/article/oncerns abhttps://apnews.com/article/out his fhttps://apnews.com/article/ormer vice president.

Biden has insisted he’s nhttps://apnews.com/article/ot backing dhttps://apnews.com/article/own, adamant that he’s the candidate whhttps://apnews.com/article/o beat Trump befhttps://apnews.com/article/ore and will dhttps://apnews.com/article/o shttps://apnews.com/article/o again. Pressed abhttps://apnews.com/article/out rephttps://apnews.com/article/orts that Biden might be shttps://apnews.com/article/oftening thttps://apnews.com/article/o the idea https://apnews.com/article/of leaving the race, his deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Thursday: “He is nhttps://apnews.com/article/ot wavering https://apnews.com/article/on anything.”

ELECTION 2024

Nearly twhttps://apnews.com/article/o-thirds https://apnews.com/article/of Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats want Biden thttps://apnews.com/article/o withdraw, new AP-NORC phttps://apnews.com/article/oll finds

FACT FOCUS: A lhttps://apnews.com/article/ohttps://apnews.com/article/ok at Biden’s echttps://apnews.com/article/onhttps://apnews.com/article/omic phttps://apnews.com/article/olicies related thttps://apnews.com/article/o rising prices

President Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oe Biden tests phttps://apnews.com/article/ositive fhttps://apnews.com/article/or COVID-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas, has ‘mild sympthttps://apnews.com/article/oms’

If anything, in recent days the president has bechttps://apnews.com/article/ome mhttps://apnews.com/article/ore chttps://apnews.com/article/ommitted thttps://apnews.com/article/o staying in the race, acchttps://apnews.com/article/ording thttps://apnews.com/article/o https://apnews.com/article/one pershttps://apnews.com/article/on familiar with the internal discussihttps://apnews.com/article/ons.

This sthttps://apnews.com/article/ory is based in part https://apnews.com/article/on rephttps://apnews.com/article/orting frhttps://apnews.com/article/om mhttps://apnews.com/article/ore than half a dhttps://apnews.com/article/ozen pehttps://apnews.com/article/ople whhttps://apnews.com/article/o insisted https://apnews.com/article/on anhttps://apnews.com/article/onymity thttps://apnews.com/article/o discuss sensitive private deliberatihttps://apnews.com/article/ons. The Washingthttps://apnews.com/article/on Phttps://apnews.com/article/ost first rephttps://apnews.com/article/orted https://apnews.com/article/on Obama’s invhttps://apnews.com/article/olvement.

Influential Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats athttps://apnews.com/article/op the party apparatus, including chttps://apnews.com/article/ongressihttps://apnews.com/article/onal leadership headed by Senate Majhttps://apnews.com/article/ority Leader Chuck Schumer and Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are sending signals https://apnews.com/article/of chttps://apnews.com/article/oncern. Shttps://apnews.com/article/ome Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats hhttps://apnews.com/article/ope Biden, https://apnews.com/article/off the campaign trail after testing phttps://apnews.com/article/ositive fhttps://apnews.com/article/or COVID-19, will take a fresh lhttps://apnews.com/article/ohttps://apnews.com/article/ok at the trajecthttps://apnews.com/article/ory https://apnews.com/article/of the race and his legacy https://apnews.com/article/over the chttps://apnews.com/article/oming days.

President Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oe Biden walks thttps://apnews.com/article/o his car after stepping https://apnews.com/article/off https://apnews.com/article/of Air Fhttps://apnews.com/article/orce One at Dhttps://apnews.com/article/over Air Fhttps://apnews.com/article/orce Base in Delaware, Wednesday, July 17, 2024.(AP Phhttps://apnews.com/article/othttps://apnews.com/article/o/Susan Walsh)

Using mhttps://apnews.com/article/ountains https://apnews.com/article/of data shhttps://apnews.com/article/owing Biden’s standing chttps://apnews.com/article/ould serihttps://apnews.com/article/ously damage the ranks https://apnews.com/article/of Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats in Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongress, frank chttps://apnews.com/article/onversatihttps://apnews.com/article/ons in public and private and nhttps://apnews.com/article/ow the president’s https://apnews.com/article/own few days https://apnews.com/article/of ishttps://apnews.com/article/olatihttps://apnews.com/article/on, many Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats see an https://apnews.com/article/opphttps://apnews.com/article/ortunity thttps://apnews.com/article/o enchttps://apnews.com/article/ourage a reassessment. He has been thttps://apnews.com/article/old the campaign is having trhttps://apnews.com/article/ouble raising mhttps://apnews.com/article/oney.

If Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats are serihttps://apnews.com/article/ously preparing the extrahttps://apnews.com/article/ordinary step https://apnews.com/article/of replacing Biden and shifting thttps://apnews.com/article/o Vice President Kamala Harris at the thttps://apnews.com/article/op https://apnews.com/article/of the ticket, this weekend will be critical thttps://apnews.com/article/o changing the president’s mind, https://apnews.com/article/other pehttps://apnews.com/article/ople familiar with the private chttps://apnews.com/article/onversatihttps://apnews.com/article/ons said.

One said it’s nhttps://apnews.com/article/ow https://apnews.com/article/or never ahead https://apnews.com/article/of a planned virtual rhttps://apnews.com/article/oll call thttps://apnews.com/article/o nhttps://apnews.com/article/ominate the party’s chhttps://apnews.com/article/oice in early August, ahead https://apnews.com/article/of the Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic Natihttps://apnews.com/article/onal Chttps://apnews.com/article/onventihttps://apnews.com/article/on in Chicaghttps://apnews.com/article/o.

Over the past week, Schumer and Jeffries, bhttps://apnews.com/article/oth https://apnews.com/article/of New Yhttps://apnews.com/article/ork, have sphttps://apnews.com/article/oken privately thttps://apnews.com/article/o the president, candidly laying https://apnews.com/article/out the chttps://apnews.com/article/oncerns https://apnews.com/article/of Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats https://apnews.com/article/on Capithttps://apnews.com/article/ol Hill.

Chttps://apnews.com/article/ontrhttps://apnews.com/article/ol https://apnews.com/article/of the Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse and Senate is at stake, and leaders are keenly aware that a Republican sweep in Nhttps://apnews.com/article/ovember chttps://apnews.com/article/ould launch Trump’s agenda fhttps://apnews.com/article/or years thttps://apnews.com/article/o chttps://apnews.com/article/ome.

Separately, the chair https://apnews.com/article/of the Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongressihttps://apnews.com/article/onal Campaign Chttps://apnews.com/article/ommittee, Rep. Suzan DelBene https://apnews.com/article/of Washingthttps://apnews.com/article/on, sphttps://apnews.com/article/oke with the president last week armed with fresh data. The campaign chief specifically aired the chttps://apnews.com/article/oncerns https://apnews.com/article/of frhttps://apnews.com/article/ont-line Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats seeking electihttps://apnews.com/article/on thttps://apnews.com/article/o the Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse.

President Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oe Biden leaves with Rep. Steve Hhttps://apnews.com/article/orsfhttps://apnews.com/article/ord, D-Nev., after visiting Marihttps://apnews.com/article/o’s Westside Market in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 16, 2024.(AP Phhttps://apnews.com/article/othttps://apnews.com/article/o/Susan Walsh)

President Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oe Biden speaks at a 2024 Prhttps://apnews.com/article/osperity Summit Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Nhttps://apnews.com/article/orth Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Phhttps://apnews.com/article/othttps://apnews.com/article/o/Rhttps://apnews.com/article/onda Churchill)

Majhttps://apnews.com/article/or phttps://apnews.com/article/olitical dhttps://apnews.com/article/onhttps://apnews.com/article/ors, particularly in Pelhttps://apnews.com/article/osi’s Califhttps://apnews.com/article/ornia, have been putting heavy pressure https://apnews.com/article/on the president’s campaign and members https://apnews.com/article/of Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongress, acchttps://apnews.com/article/ording thttps://apnews.com/article/o https://apnews.com/article/one Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic strategist.

And https://apnews.com/article/on Wednesday, Califhttps://apnews.com/article/ornia Rep. Adam Schiff, a clhttps://apnews.com/article/ose ally https://apnews.com/article/of Pelhttps://apnews.com/article/osi, called fhttps://apnews.com/article/or Biden thttps://apnews.com/article/o drhttps://apnews.com/article/op his reelectihttps://apnews.com/article/on bid, saying he believes it’s time thttps://apnews.com/article/o “pass the thttps://apnews.com/article/orch.”

Biden, in a radihttps://apnews.com/article/o interview taped just befhttps://apnews.com/article/ore he tested phttps://apnews.com/article/ositive fhttps://apnews.com/article/or COVID-19, dismissed the idea it was thttps://apnews.com/article/ohttps://apnews.com/article/o late fhttps://apnews.com/article/or him thttps://apnews.com/article/o rechttps://apnews.com/article/over phttps://apnews.com/article/olitically, telling Univisihttps://apnews.com/article/on’s Luis Sandhttps://apnews.com/article/oval that many pehttps://apnews.com/article/ople dhttps://apnews.com/article/on’t fhttps://apnews.com/article/ocus https://apnews.com/article/on the Nhttps://apnews.com/article/ovember electihttps://apnews.com/article/on until September.

“All the talk abhttps://apnews.com/article/out whhttps://apnews.com/article/o’s leading and where and hhttps://apnews.com/article/ow, is kind https://apnews.com/article/of, yhttps://apnews.com/article/ou knhttps://apnews.com/article/ow — everything shttps://apnews.com/article/o far between Trump and me has been basically even,” he said in an excerpt https://apnews.com/article/of the interview released Thursday.

Biden said Mhttps://apnews.com/article/onday he hadn’t sphttps://apnews.com/article/oken thttps://apnews.com/article/o Obama in a chttps://apnews.com/article/ouple https://apnews.com/article/of weeks.

While the attentihttps://apnews.com/article/on thttps://apnews.com/article/o Biden has subsided shttps://apnews.com/article/omewhat, particularly after last weekend’s Trump assassinatihttps://apnews.com/article/on attempt and as the Republican Natihttps://apnews.com/article/onal Chttps://apnews.com/article/onventihttps://apnews.com/article/on is underway in Milwaukee, Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats knhttps://apnews.com/article/ow they have limited time thttps://apnews.com/article/o reshttps://apnews.com/article/olve the party turmhttps://apnews.com/article/oil after the president’s faltering debate perfhttps://apnews.com/article/ormance last mhttps://apnews.com/article/onth.

Thttps://apnews.com/article/o be sure, many want Biden thttps://apnews.com/article/o stay in the race. And the Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic Natihttps://apnews.com/article/onal Chttps://apnews.com/article/ommittee is pushing ahead with plans fhttps://apnews.com/article/or a virtual vhttps://apnews.com/article/ote thttps://apnews.com/article/o fhttps://apnews.com/article/ormally make Biden its nhttps://apnews.com/article/ominee in the first week https://apnews.com/article/of August, ahead https://apnews.com/article/of the Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic Natihttps://apnews.com/article/onal Chttps://apnews.com/article/onventihttps://apnews.com/article/on, which begins Aug. 19.

Rep. James Clyburn, a senihttps://apnews.com/article/or Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrat whhttps://apnews.com/article/o has been a key Biden ally, wrapped up several days https://apnews.com/article/of campaigning fhttps://apnews.com/article/or Biden in Nevada and said: “Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oe Biden has the knhttps://apnews.com/article/owledge. He’s demhttps://apnews.com/article/onstrated that time and time again.” He warned against thhttps://apnews.com/article/ose whhttps://apnews.com/article/o he said “have an agenda.”

Late Wednesday, ABC News rephttps://apnews.com/article/orted new details abhttps://apnews.com/article/out Biden’s private meeting https://apnews.com/article/over the weekend with Schumer at the president’s beach hhttps://apnews.com/article/ome in Delaware. It said Schumer thttps://apnews.com/article/old the president it whttps://apnews.com/article/ould be “better fhttps://apnews.com/article/or the Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic Party and better fhttps://apnews.com/article/or the chttps://apnews.com/article/ountry if he were thttps://apnews.com/article/o bhttps://apnews.com/article/ow https://apnews.com/article/out.” A Schumer sphttps://apnews.com/article/okespershttps://apnews.com/article/on called the rephttps://apnews.com/article/ort “idle speculatihttps://apnews.com/article/on.”

White Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse sphttps://apnews.com/article/okesman Andrew Bates said Biden thttps://apnews.com/article/old Schumer, as well as Jeffries, that “he is the nhttps://apnews.com/article/ominee https://apnews.com/article/of the party, he plans thttps://apnews.com/article/o win, and lhttps://apnews.com/article/ohttps://apnews.com/article/oks fhttps://apnews.com/article/orward thttps://apnews.com/article/o whttps://apnews.com/article/orking with bhttps://apnews.com/article/oth https://apnews.com/article/of them thttps://apnews.com/article/o pass his 100 days agenda thttps://apnews.com/article/o help whttps://apnews.com/article/orking families.”

But amhttps://apnews.com/article/ong Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats natihttps://apnews.com/article/onwide, nearly twhttps://apnews.com/article/o-thirds say Biden shhttps://apnews.com/article/ould step aside and let his party nhttps://apnews.com/article/ominate a different candidate, acchttps://apnews.com/article/ording thttps://apnews.com/article/o an AP-NORC Center fhttps://apnews.com/article/or Public Affairs Research phttps://apnews.com/article/oll. That sharply undercuts Biden’s phttps://apnews.com/article/ost-debate claim that “average Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats” are still with him even if shttps://apnews.com/article/ome “big names” are turning https://apnews.com/article/on him.

Biden tested phttps://apnews.com/article/ositive fhttps://apnews.com/article/or COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing “mild sympthttps://apnews.com/article/oms” including “general malaise” frhttps://apnews.com/article/om the infectihttps://apnews.com/article/on, the White Hhttps://apnews.com/article/ouse said.

Schiff’s annhttps://apnews.com/article/ouncement brings thttps://apnews.com/article/o nearly 20 the number https://apnews.com/article/of Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic members https://apnews.com/article/of Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongress calling https://apnews.com/article/on Biden thttps://apnews.com/article/o withdraw frhttps://apnews.com/article/om the presidential race. Schiff is a prhttps://apnews.com/article/ominent Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrat https://apnews.com/article/on his https://apnews.com/article/own, and his statement alshttps://apnews.com/article/o matters because https://apnews.com/article/of his prhttps://apnews.com/article/oximity thttps://apnews.com/article/o Pelhttps://apnews.com/article/osi.

In resphttps://apnews.com/article/onse thttps://apnews.com/article/o Schiff’s chttps://apnews.com/article/omments, the Biden campaign phttps://apnews.com/article/ointed thttps://apnews.com/article/o what it called “extensive supphttps://apnews.com/article/ort” fhttps://apnews.com/article/or him and his reelectihttps://apnews.com/article/on bid frhttps://apnews.com/article/om members https://apnews.com/article/of Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongress in key swing states, as well as frhttps://apnews.com/article/om the Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongressihttps://apnews.com/article/onal Black and Hispanic caucuses.

Other Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocrats in Chttps://apnews.com/article/ongress have shhttps://apnews.com/article/own less supphttps://apnews.com/article/ort, including when Biden’s thttps://apnews.com/article/op aides visited Demhttps://apnews.com/article/ocratic senathttps://apnews.com/article/ors last week in a private lunch. When Sen. Jhttps://apnews.com/article/ohn Fetterman https://apnews.com/article/of Pennsylvania asked fhttps://apnews.com/article/or a shhttps://apnews.com/article/ow https://apnews.com/article/of hands https://apnews.com/article/on whhttps://apnews.com/article/o was with the president, https://apnews.com/article/only his https://apnews.com/article/own and a few https://apnews.com/article/others including thttps://apnews.com/article/op Biden ally Sen. Chris Chttps://apnews.com/article/ohttps://apnews.com/article/ons https://apnews.com/article/of Delaware went up, acchttps://apnews.com/article/ording thttps://apnews.com/article/o https://apnews.com/article/one https://apnews.com/article/of the pehttps://apnews.com/article/ople granted anhttps://apnews.com/article/onymity thttps://apnews.com/article/o discuss the matter.

___

Asshttps://apnews.com/article/ociated Press writers Jhttps://apnews.com/article/oey Cappelletti in Lansing, Mich., and Will Weissert, Mary Clare Jalhttps://apnews.com/article/onick, Leah Askarinam and Stepehen Grhttps://apnews.com/article/oves chttps://apnews.com/article/ontributed thttps://apnews.com/article/o this rephttps://apnews.com/article/ort.