The commotion over Biden’s campaign shows no signs of abating, with Manchin the latest to call for a new nomination

WASHINGTON (AP) — The furor surrounding President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign showed no sign of abating Sunday, with a fifth senator urging him to withdraw from the race and allow Democrats to hold an “open process” for a new nominee. Biden’s campaign acknowledged “differing views” but said the party would unite to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, an independent who considered running for the White House this year and as a Democrat has often stymied his party’s leadership, was the latest member of Congress to suggest that Biden focus on the remaining months of his presidency, even as the 81-year-old incumbent plans to resume campaigning this week after isolating at his beachside Delaware home because of COVID-19.

“It is with a heavy heart that I have decided that it is time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin said in a series of interviews on the Sunday news program.

Nearly three dozen Democrats in Congress have said it’s time for Biden to leave the race. Four Democratic senators — Peter Welch of Vermont, Jon Tester of Montana, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sherrod Brown of Ohio — have said Biden should withdraw.

Biden’s performance in the debates raised open questions about his ability to mount a compelling campaign to defeat Trump. However, the president’s team has made it clear that Biden is determined to win a second term and that the campaign is focused on winning a close election.

“Unlike Republicans, we are a party that accepts and even celebrates different points of view, but ultimately we will absolutely come together to defeat Donald Trump in November,” said Mia Ehrenberg, a Biden campaign spokesperson.

Manchin said he was confident Biden could complete his term, but the senator worried about the consequences of a campaign.

“I’m really concerned about the health and well-being of the president,” said Manchin, who became an independent in May after years as a Democrat. He is not seeking re-election to the Senate.

Biden has said he is ready to return to the campaign trail this week and counter a “dark vision” from Trump. Biden has insisted he can beat Trump in a 2020 rematch and has met with family and longtime aides as he resists efforts to oust him.

Still, Manchin said Biden should pave the way for other Democrats and spend the rest of his term as “the president he always wanted to be, able to unite the country, bring it back together” and focus on the war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The result, Manchin said, would be being able to “show the rest of the world the orderly transition of power from the world’s superpower.”

He also said, “I really believe the Democratic Party needs an open process” in choosing a new nominee. Manchin said he was not trying to replace Kamala Harris, the vice president. “Healthy competition is what it’s all about,” Manchin said.

Manchin, himself a former governor, said: “I think we have a lot of talent on the bench, a lot of good people, and I have a preference for governors, because a governor cannot afford to be partisan. They cannot afford to be strictly partisan, because that hole or that bridge does not have a D or an R.”

He cited Governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania who, he said, “didn’t divide their state. They didn’t force you to pick a side and demonize the other side. They brought people together. That’s what an open process would do, I think. It would bring more people forward in a process that could bring Democrats like me back.”

However, the Democratic National Committee’s regulatory arm is moving ahead with plans for a virtual call to nominate the presidential candidate by Aug. 7, ahead of the party’s convention later that month in Chicago.

Some of the president’s supporters on the news programs resisted calls to withdraw. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said Biden has a coalition of supporters, including African-American women, blue-collar workers and seniors who voted for him in the primaries.

“If he feels insulted, those voters will feel insulted too,” Khanna said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) also warned that an attempt to replace Biden at the top of the ticket could face legal challenges, given that some 14 million people voted for him in Democratic primaries across the country.

“It would be wrong, and I think illegal under the rules of some states, if a handful of people went in a back room and switched it because they didn’t like the candidate anymore. That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” he said.

Manchin has appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” ABC’s “This Week” and CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Khanna was featured on ABC and Johnson was featured on ABC and CNN.

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Superville reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

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