Virginia's Mark Warner looks to lead group of senators to ask Biden to leave presidential race, reports say

WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden fights to save his endangered reelection effort, there are reports that one of Virginia's U.S. senators is planning to organize a group effort to ask that he exit the presidential race.

The Associated Press reports that Sen. Mark Warner reached out to fellow senators throughout the week to discuss whether to ask Biden to exit the race, according to three people familiar with the effort who requested anonymity to talk about private conversations. 

The Virginia Democrat’s moves are notable given his role as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and his reputation as a lawmaker who has supported Biden and developed working relationships with colleagues in both parties. Warner’s effort was first reported by The Washington Post.

According to The Post as well as ABC News, Warner has told others he is deeply concerned Biden is not able to run a campaign that could beat former President Donald Trump.

The strategy remains fluid. One of the people with knowledge of Warner's effort told The AP there are enough Senate Democrats concerned enough about Biden's capacity to run for reelection to take some sort of action, although there was yet no consensus on what that plan would be.

No Democratic senator has publicly called on President Biden to withdraw from the race but the concerns from Warner are significant. He chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and is highly respected among his colleagues.

Meanwhile, Virginia's other U.S. senator, Democrat Tim Kaine, has said he supports President Biden, no matter what decision the president ultimately makes.

"If Joe Biden says, 'I can do this,' then I believe him, because he's never given me a reason not to believe him," Kaine told 13News Now on Friday. "And if Joe Biden concludes he can't, I think he is the kind of patriotic person who will take that George Washington move and say, 'It's time for someone else.'"

At least three House Democrats have called for Biden to step down as the nominee, with Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., joining Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva in pushing for an alternative. While not going that far, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a carefully worded statement Friday that Biden now has a decision to make on “the best way forward.”

Biden on Friday defiantly declared that “I’m staying in the race” during a campaign rally in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin.

The rally preceded an interview with ABC News that could be a watershed moment for Biden, where his every answer was sure to be scrutinized for evidence of his competency and fitness to run for office.

In front of roughly 300 supporters at a Wisconsin middle school, Biden again acknowledged his subpar debate last week, saying he “can’t say it was my best performance.” 

But amid speculation over what he would do, he had an answer: “I am running, and I’m going to win again.”