Former Michigan Democratic Party Chair: ‘Biden should withdraw’

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party has called for President Joe Biden to withdraw his candidacy for a second term as president.

Lon Johnson took to Facebook Wednesday night to urge Biden to withdraw.

"It's clear the President is suffering from cognitive decline, and the actions by him, his family, and staff since the debate have only reinforced that belief," Johnson wrote in his post.

While he has called for Biden to withdraw, he is not endorsing any specific choice to replace the 81-year-old President at the top of the ticket. He says the delegates to the National Democratic Party Convention in August should make the determination on who will head the party ticket going into November if Biden does withdraw.

Johnson served as chair of the Michigan Democratic Party 2013 to 2015.

Biden has been under pressure for a week after what has been described as poor performance in a debate with former President Donald Trump . The Hill reported Wednesday top Democrats have been debating if Biden should remain the standard bearer for the party rolling into the November 6 general election. Two Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives have publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race.

Polling following last Thursday's debate on CNN have shown modest shifts for voters to supporting Trump over Biden, The Hill .

Biden held a meeting with Democratic governors at the White House Wednesday night, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer . Whitmer is among a select few Democrats whose name has been mentioned as a possible Biden replacement.

Whitmer took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to post her continued support for is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him," she wrote.

Whitmer serves as a co-chair for the Biden for President re-election campaign. She was also vetted by Biden in 2020 for the Vice Presidency. She has disavowed a nascent grassroots movement to draft her as a replacement for Biden, Politico last week.