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Election 2024
MPR News Staff

Rep. McCollum urges Biden to exit presidential race, backs Harris-Walz ticket

A woman waves and smiles
Rep. Betty McCollum greets supporters at an election night party in St. Paul in 2022.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

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Minnesota Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is asking President Joe Biden to withdraw his bid for reelection and wants Democrats to back a new presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.

“Winning in November and defeating Trump’s dangerous, hate-filled agenda must be Democrats’ sole focus. To give Democrats a strong, viable path to winning the White House, I am calling upon President Biden to release his delegates and empower Vice-President Harris to step forward to become the Democratic nominee for President,” McCollum said in a statement.

The longtime representative for the east Twin Cities metro said Harris should choose Walz as her running mate given his success as “a leader who has been a teacher, soldier, football coach” and member of Congress, calling him a winner.

Walz has expressed strong support for Biden and has said he backs the president’s reelection bid.

McCollum is the third Minnesota Democrat in Congress to urge Biden to exit the race, following Rep. Angie Craig, who made the statement shortly after Biden’s debate performance.

Rep. Dean Phillips has been urging Biden to step aside since last year. The Democrat ran a failed primary bid for president partially on the belief that Biden was too old and voters needed another option. After Phillips ended his presidential effort, he said he would back Biden, although he’s since indicated that views on Biden age haven’t changed.

In contrast, Minnesota Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar posted on social media this week that she was concerned about how the calls for Biden to step down could impact Democrats more broadly.

"I can’t tell you all how shameful it feels to hear all these leaks about what Democratic leaders are staying and not to have a single one of them out here confirming or denying it," Omar wrote. "It’s a lack of leadership and it’s making all Democrats look bad.”