Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Democrats make a fresh push for Joe Biden to reconsider 2024 race ahead of convention

U.S. Presidential election: Barack Obama has privately expressed concerns to Democrats about Joe Biden’s candidacy, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately warned Mr. Biden that Democrats could lose the ability to seize control in the House if he didn’t step away from the race.

Former President Barack Obama has privately expressed concerns to Democrats about President Joe Biden’s candidacy, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately warned Mr. Biden that Democrats could lose the ability to seize control in the House if he didn’t step away from the race.

Ms. Pelosi also showed Mr. Biden polling that he likely can’t defeat Republican Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss it.

Time racing, Democrats at the highest levels are making a critical push for Mr. Biden to reconsider his reelection bid, as unease grows at the White House and within the campaign at a fraught moment for the president and his party.

Mr. Biden has insisted he is not backing down, adamant that he is the candidate who beat Trump before and will do it again this year. Pressed about reports that Mr. Biden might be softening to the idea of leaving the race, his deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said on July 18: “He is not wavering on anything.”

In recent days the President has become more committed to staying in the race, according to another person familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.

But influential Democrats from the highest levels of the party apparatus, including congressional leadership headed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are sending signals of concern. Some Democrats hope Mr. Biden will assess the trajectory of the race and his legacy during this few days’ pause.

Using mountains of data showing Mr. Biden’s standing could wipe out the ranks of Democrats in Congress, frank conversations in public and private, and now, the President’s own time off the campaign trail after testing positive for COVID-19, many Democrats see an opportunity to encourage a reassessment.