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2024 election live updates: Donors furious on call with Harris: Sources

More Democrats are calling for Biden to bow out of the race.

Last Updated: July 19, 2024, 5:37 PM EDT

President Joe Biden is facing a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continue to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.

A poor debate performance against Donald Trump in June reignited questions about Biden's age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. Biden has defiantly insisted he is staying the course, telling lawmakers this week he is not going anywhere.

On July 11, Biden held his first news conference since the debate -- taking multiple questions about his political future.

5:37 PM EDT

Donors furious on call with Harris and voter outreach organizers: Sources

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to calm the panic during a call Friday afternoon with major Democratic donors, and told them, "We are going to win this election," one attendee on the call told ABC News.

Harris made the call with a person representing a Latino-focused organization and another representing a Black-focused organization, according to a source with knowledge of the call.

Their message was to "plead" to the donors who have been calling on Biden to drop out to stop and resume funding, according to the source.

"We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: Our President, Joe Biden," Harris said during the call, according to the attendee.

"With every decision he makes in the Oval Office, he thinks about how it will impact working Americans. And I witness it every day. Now contrast that with what we heard last night."

The representative of the Latino-focused organization said they have spoken to thousands of people in swing states and out of those thousands of conversations, the debate came up only two times; these average voters were most worried about inflation and the economy.

Harris did not take questions, according to the attendee.

Some donors were furious, with some expecting the call to be about replacing Biden and they did not want to be lectured, the attendee said. As the call was wrapping up, one furious donor started going on a rant and the call ended in the middle of it.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

5:34 PM EDT

Biden campaign holds all-staff call to boost morale: Sources

The Biden campaign held an all-staff call Friday afternoon to boost morale, sources familiar told ABC News.

The call was held with campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and former Biden Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, sources said

"When you give me polls, I'm going to give you direct voter contact,” O’Malley Dillon said, according to a source.

"The people that the president is hearing from ... are saying, 'Stay in this race and keep going and keep fighting, and we need you.' Those voices will never be as loud as the people on TV, but remember that the people in our country are not watching cable news," she added.

The call was presentation-style on Zoom and questions were not taken, according to sources.

-ABC News' Selina Wang and MaryAlice Parks

5:34 PM EDT

35th congressional Democrat calls on Biden to step aside

Freshman Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky became the 35th congressional Democrat to call on Biden to end his campaign Friday.

McGarvey posted a statement on X stating there "was no joy in the recognition that [Biden] should not be our nominee in November.

"President Biden is a good man who cares deeply about the American people. I trust he will do what's best for the nation," the congressman added.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

1:31 PM EDT

2 more Democratic House members join calls for Biden to end campaign

Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman released a statement Friday joining the growing calls from House Democrats to Biden to step aside.

Landsman said that he spent "weeks of consideration and hundreds of conversations with constituents," before coming to his conclusion.

"It is time for President Biden to step aside and allow us to nominate a new leader who can reliably and consistently make the case against Donald Trump and make the case for the future of America," he said.

Not too long after Landsman released his statement, Rep. Zo Lofgren of California said Biden needed to step aside.

Lofgren, a longtime ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said in a letter to Biden that he provided the president with data "indicating that you in all likelihood will lose the race for President."

"Simply put, your candidacy is on a trajectory to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races down ballot," she said.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller