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2024 election live updates: Bernie Sanders calls on Dems 'to stop the bickering'
Sanders expressed his support for Biden in a New York Times guest essay.
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 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.
Biden held his first news conference since the debate Thursday evening -- taking multiple questions about his political future.
Latest headlines:
2 Iowa Democratic House candidates join call for Biden to step aside
Two Democrats looking to flip red seats in Iowa said Friday that Biden needed to end his reelection bid.
Sarah Corkery, who is running for the state's 2nd District seat which represents 22 counties in the state including Cedar Rapids, told the Des Moines Register that "now is the time for him to pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris.
"She will continue the fight to keep our democracy alive," Corkery told the paper.
Fellow Democrat Christina Bohannan, who is vying to flip the state's 1st Congressional District, which includes Iowa City, echoed the call for Biden to bow out.
Bohannan said in a statement posted on X that she's heard from a lot of voters who are concerned about Biden's viability.
The district is being heavily targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which lists it among 33 Republican-held or open seats it considers in play this November.
"It is time for President Biden to withdraw from this campaign and pass the torch to a new generation of leadership," Bohannan said.
-ABC News' Isabella Murray
Biden to speak with progressive, moderate Democrats this weekend: Sources
President Biden is expected to speak with members of the New Democrat Coalition, a large group of self-styled moderates in the House, over the weekend, multiple Democratic sources told ABC News.
The group includes several Democrats who have called for him to withdraw from the race, including Reps. Adam Smith, Pat Ryan, Mikie Sherrill, Mike Quigley, and Jim Himes.
It’s not clear how many of those members will join the call. But it could be an opportunity for some of them to make their case directly to Biden.
The president plans to also meet with members of the Progressive Caucus on Saturday, according to sources.
-ABC News' Ben Siegel and Rachel Scott
Biden to speak with Congressional Hispanic Caucus: Sources
Biden will be speaking with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday, two sources familiar with the planning told ABC News.
The meeting was technically set up through the BOLD PAC, which supports Hispanic and progressive candidates and includes members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to sources.
-ABC News' Rachel Scott
Ron Klain says Biden news conference a 'more typical' performance than debate
Ron Klain, a senior adviser to Biden and former White House chief of staff joined MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Friday to discuss Biden's high-stakes news conference.
Klain framed the debate as a "bad night" and said the preparations were better than the real-time showing. Klain also said that what Americans saw on Thursday is more representative of Biden's abilities.
"Last night, the press conference we saw ... was much more typical to what we saw in the debate preparations," Klain said, adding: "And I think that the president showed showed what he's capable of last night in this press conference, and voters see it every day as he governs and leads the country and campaigns around the country."
-ABC News' Gabrielle Abdul-Hakim