A tale of two Democratic parties: Biden hitting campaign trail next week as more congressional Democrats ask him to step aside

The list of congressional Democrats publicly calling for President Biden to step aside from his 2024 reelection campaign seemed to grow by the hour on Friday, with more than 30 now asking the 81-year-old to step down.

Biden is currently in self-isolation at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, which has sidelined him from campaigning for part of the week.

🏋️ Mounting pressure from congressional Democrats

On Friday alone, at least eight Democrats publicly called for Biden to leave the 2024 race, including, which included:

Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico

Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois

Rep. Jared Huffman of California

Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas

Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin

Rep. Jesús "Chuy” García of Illinois

Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California

Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio

Read more: More than 30 congressional Democrats have now called on Biden to end his reelection bid

The mounting pressure comes after multiple news outlets have reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have recently told Biden that there are serious concerns he will not only lose the presidential race to Trump but also drag down Democratic chances in key congressional races. They have not publicly called on Biden to leave the race.

Both the Associated Press and the Washington Post reported Thursday that former President Barack Obama is also telling allies that Biden should reconsider his viability in the race.

🇺🇸 Back to the campaign trail

Despite the loud and growing calls for Biden to step aside, the president is pressing on with plans to get back to the campaign trail next week.

“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone. The stakes are high, and the choice is clear,” Biden said in a statement issued by his campaign Friday. “Together, we will win.”

Earlier on Friday, Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillion acknowledged on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that there has been "slippage" in the president's support and there was "a lot of work to do," but maintained that there were still "multiple paths" for Biden to defeat former President Donald Trump, now the official Republican presidential nominee.

📺 A new TV ad calls for Biden to step aside

To add to the mounting pressure, a new TV ad from the group Pass the Torch calling on the president to step aside is expected to start running on Monday during MSNBC's programming in Washington, D.C., and Rehoboth Beach markets, as reported by NBC News.

📢 What Biden’s congressional allies have said

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries from New York: Jeffries told reporters in Brooklyn on Friday that he continues to support Biden as the Democratic nominee. "President Biden, as I've said repeatedly, is our nominee," Jeffries said. "He has a tremendous track record of success. He is one of the most accomplished American presidents in our history and he has the vision, I believe the ability, the capacity, and the track record to make a case to the American people that will result in us being successful in November."

Rep. Linda Sánchez from California, BOLD PAC chairwoman: The fundraising arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, BOLD PAC, endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket on Friday. "From historic investments in our infrastructure system to expanding access to affordable health care, they have championed policies that lifted up our families and communities," Sánchez said in a statement Friday. "This administration has led with working families in mind and shown an unwavering commitment to Latinos. There is so much work left to do and the stakes couldn't be higher."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York: She slammed fellow Democrats calling for Biden to step aside in a late-night Instagram livestream on Thursday, claiming they didn't have a clear plan forward.

“I have not seen an alternative scenario that I feel will not set us up for enormous peril,” she said.

Sen. Chris Coons from Delaware: Coons, a close ally of the president and co-chair of the Biden campaign, said the president is "weighing" the best candidate who could win the November election. "I am confident he is hearing what he needs to hear from colleagues, from the public," Coons said at the Aspen National Security Forum on Friday. "There are folks still saying he is not strong enough or capable enough to be our next president," Coons said. "I disagree."

🫏 What’s going on with the DNC roll call vote?

Despite calls for Biden to exit the 2024 race, the Democratic National Committee is proceeding full steam ahead with a virtual roll call — trying to secure Biden as the party's presidential nominee ahead of their convention in Chicago next month. The rules committee met virtually on Friday to discuss plans for the planned virtual vote. The committee is next expected to meet on July 26 to vote on rules of the roll call vote, which wouldn't be allowed to start until the first week of August.