Dems say calls to replace Biden after primaries aren't 'threat to democracy,' a charge lobbed at Trump

Lawmakers are publicly calling for Biden's replacement, despite Democrat primary voters already casting their vote for his reelection

Democrat hopeful urges Biden to put himself in situations ‘where he can be tested’

West Virginia Senate candidate Glenn Elliot joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss his reaction to Democrats calling on Biden to drop out of the race and why he still remains hopeful for this campaign. 

Democrats in the Senate said calls from elites and celebrities to replace President Biden on the Democrat ticket didn't indicate a "threat to democracy," despite the fact that primary voters across the country have already cast their votes in support of Biden. 

Lawmakers in the Democrat Party have frequently discussed a variety of threats to America's system of governance, with a particular focus on former President Trump and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Fox News Digital asked several lawmakers whether calls to replace Biden after his election in the primaries were a threat to democracy in the same fashion that some described efforts to halt the certification of the 2020 election by Trump supporters on Jan. 6.

"I don't think there is any comparison whatsoever. Zero. No comparison," said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.

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Joe Biden

President Biden shocked the nation with his disastrous debate performance, sparking calls for him to step out of the 2024 race. (Getty Images)

Several House Democrats have called on Biden, the leader of their party, to withdraw from the race. Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn., Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., have made such calls. In addition, multiple celebrities and Democrat megadonors have pressured the president to drop out of the race as confidence in his ability to beat Trump continues to fall.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., didn't remark on those calls, noting, "I just speak for myself, so I can give you my views. I'm not going to characterize or comment on other people's views."

Notably, he has pointed to Trump, claiming the former president "presents an existential threat to democracy."

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Senator Chris Murphy

Murphy has referred to Trump as a democracy threat. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

When posed the same question, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., remarked: "In Georgia, former President Trump was caught on tape pressuring and threatening the statewide senior-most election administration official to, quote, find the exact number of votes that he needed to win and by which he had lost."

Richard Blumenthal

Blumenthal said he is supportive of Biden. (YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images)

"That misconduct is utterly appalling. It should be unacceptable to every elected official in the country, to every member of the Republican Party. It should be disqualifying for former President Trump, for every Republican elected official in the country," he added. 

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Per Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., "I can appreciate, I think, concerns my colleagues have had, but we got our answer from the president on Monday."

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Former President Donald Trump (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

"We have 117 days left between now and the November election. It's time [to get] back to work," he said, reiterating his support for Biden to remain on the Democrat ticket but not addressing whether a threat to democracy is presented by calls for him to step down. 

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Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin is in a competitive Senate race. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for The Democratic Party of Wisconsin)

Democrat strategist Kaivan Shroff, however, said the calls could rise to the level of undermining democracy.

"Donald Trump is the singular greatest threat to democracy and yes, in trying to undermine our Democratic primary winner Joe Biden this late in the game — and invalidate the primary votes of millions in our party across the country — I do feel that democracy is at risk if the game playing does not stop."

"We should be laser focused on building the same winning coalition that elected the Biden-Harris ticket in the first place," he added. 

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner. 

Follow Julia's reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Authored by Julia Johnson via FoxNews July 9th 2024