Rep. Connolly says replacing Biden must be 'on the table,' doesn't know if he will be candidate next week

A Democratic congressman spoke carefully about the potential scenario where President Biden may drop out of the race in lieu of another candidate Democrats think can beat Trump.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., hinted during a CNN interview on Thursday that the Democratic Party may need to consider another nominee to stop former President Trump from retaking the White House.

A growing number of Democratic officials and party leaders have called for President Biden to step aside and let another candidate become their 2024 nominee after his widely panned performance in June’s presidential debate. One plan that has been floated is Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden atop the ticket.

CNN host Manu Raju spoke to Connolly about this proposal, noting, "The New York Times is reporting just now that the Biden campaign is conducting private polling testing Kamala Harris, and seeing how she does in a matchup against Trump."

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"I‘m not going to make a judgment as to whether that‘s wise or not. It‘s clearly an option that needs to be on the table," Connolly said. 

"It sounds like you don’t want to go out and publicly call him to resign, to step aside, because of your friendship and what you believe he has done for the country and all of that, but you are concerned he’s going to lose, and the party would be better off in your view, the country would be better off with a new candidate. Is that a fair assessment?," Raju asked.

"I didn’t say that," Connolly responded. "I think it’s fair to say I’m concerned, and I have reason to be concerned, and I would hope the White House and the presidential campaign are also concerned."

Towards the end of the interview, Raju asked, "Next week, will Joe Biden still be your candidate next week?"

"I don’t know, events are unfolding very fast and, you know, I want to create space for the president and the White House to make a careful, reflective, and patriotic decision," Connolly said.