The Sunrise Movement, a progressive, youth-led climate group, is calling on President Biden to step aside from the 2024 race after his abysmal debate performance spurred Democratic anxiety about his ability to beat former President Trump.
“To young people: losing this election could alter the rest of our lives,” Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay said in a written statement.
“Joe Biden’s next climate legacy-defining act must be to pass the torch to a new nominee,” Shiney-Ajay added.
The statement appears to make Sunrise the first major climate or environmental advocacy group to publicly call for Biden to step down.
It also represents a rare break from some of the group’s top political allies, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), both of whom are backing Biden despite calls from other Democrats for him to drop out.
More than a dozen Democratic members of Congress have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race.
The Sunrise Movement has been withholding a formal endorsement from Biden. While the group has backed a number of the president’s climate policies, it has said he should go even further, including by declaring a national climate emergency.
Related
Discussion about this post