* Five Illinois US Reps. have now said the POTUS should drop out. Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider and Eric Sorensen have already done so, and we have two more today. Casten…

Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) called on President Joe Biden to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

“It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Joe Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” wrote Rep. Casten in the Chicago Tribune. “To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the President who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward.”

Read Rep. Casten’s full op-ed in the Chicago Tribune here.

* Garcia…

Today, U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), Marc Veasey TX- 33), Chuy Garcia (IL-04), and Mark Pocan (WI-02) released a joint message to President Joe Biden:

“Mr. President, with great admiration for you personally, sincere respect for your decades of public service and patriotic leadership, and deep appreciation for everything we have accomplished together during your presidency, it is now time for you to pass the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders. We must defeat Donald Trump to save our democracy, protect our alliances and the rules-based international order, and continue building on the strong foundation you have established over the past four years.

“At this point, however, we must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign. These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House. Democrats have a deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, who you have lifted up, empowered, and prepared for this moment. Passing the torch would fundamentally change the trajectory of the campaign. It would reinvigorate the race and infuse Democrats with enthusiasm and momentum heading into our convention next month. Mr. President, you have always put our country and our values first. We call on you to do it once again, so that we can come together and save the country we love.”

* And while this statement doesn’t call on Biden to step aside, it’s still worth noting…

In light of the ongoing national conversation regarding President Biden’s candidacy as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States and the Republican Party unifying under Donald Trump’s extreme right wing agenda, Latina/o elected officials on Chicago’s Northwest side and Western Suburbs released the following statement:

We understand that a second Trump Presidency presents an existential threat to our democratic institutions and will cause immeasurable harm to working people, especially our most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Our top priority remains clear: we must do everything we can to defeat the far-right agenda of Donald Trump, MAGA Republicans, and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 at the ballot box this November.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to advance a transformative progressive agenda that is responsive to the needs of working-class people. We affirm that political violence and hateful rhetoric of any kind have no place in our politics. We condemn the attempted assassination of Donald Trump just as we have condemned the dangerous, divisive, and xenophobic agenda which he has advocated during his tenure as a public official. We hold that the best way to counter and prevent the advance of Trump’s right-wing agenda is to organize a mass working-class people’s movement that unapologetically fights for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice, equitable distribution of resources, and protecting the basic human rights of all people.

Regardless of who the Democratic Nominee for President is, Democratic leaders and progressive elected officials are responsible for listening to the voices of communities across our country that are demanding more from our political system. It is not enough to demand that people show up to vote against an authoritarian threat every four years. People across our country are exhausted from the never-ending rhetoric and politics of fear while they are struggling to put food on the table or to meet their family’s basic needs.

The way we defeat the dangerous and hateful vision of Project 2025 is by presenting our vision of a country that is boldly inclusive, just, and equitable, where everyone’s basic needs are met. Now is the time to champion a bold policy agenda that includes universal healthcare through Medicare for All, making the rich pay their fair share in taxes, protecting and expanding Social Security, codifying Roe and safeguarding reproductive rights, protecting people from deportation, and creating a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million of our undocumented neighbors, raising the federal minimum wage to be a living wage, forgiving student loans, guaranteeing access to free public colleges and universities, and helping achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that builds a bridge towards lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

The Democratic party and the Democratic Nominee for President are responsible for adopting an agenda that addresses the needs and concerns of working people across our country. We stand ready to help advance this agenda and to defeat Donald Trump’s extreme right-wing agenda.

Congresswoman Delia Ramirez
State Senator Omar Aquino
State Senator Karina Villa
Democratic Nominee for State Senator Graciela Guzman
State Representative Lilian Jimenez
State Representative Norma Hernandez
Cook County Commissioner Anthony Joel Quezada
Alderperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa
Alderperson Rossana Rodriguez
Alderperson Jessie Fuentes
Alderperson Ruth Cruz

…Adding… ILGOP…

After a week of unity in Milwaukee, Republicans in Illinois and across the country are ready to win in November. Democrats on the other hand don’t even know who will be at the top of the ticket yet.

Joe Biden’s poll numbers keep getting worse and big name Democrats are calling it quits on the President. Sean Casten joined a growing chorus of Democrats calling for Biden to step down this morning, a chorus that includes Reps. Chuy Garcia, Mike Quigley, and Eric Sorenson.

But former Biden/Pritzker staffer Nikki Budzinski and Senator Dick Durbin are #RidinWithBiden.

And Governor Pritzker? He’s supporting the “Democratic nominee” who is “apparently” Joe Biden. Sounds like a full throated endorsement to us.

With less than a month to go until Democrats descend on Chicago, their party here in Illinois and across the country is in complete and utter disarray.

31 days to go.