Rep. Connolly says he doesn't know if Biden will be a candidate by next week

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., hinted during a CNN interview on Thursday that the Democratic Party may need to consider another nominee to stop former President Trump from retaking the White House.

A growing number of Democratic officials and party leaders have called for President Biden to step aside and let another candidate become their 2024 nominee after his widely panned performance in June’s presidential debate. One plan that has been floated is Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden atop the ticket.

CNN host Manu Raju spoke to Connolly about this proposal, noting, "The New York Times is reporting just now that the Biden campaign is conducting private polling testing Kamala Harris, and seeing how she does in a matchup against Trump."

"I‘m not going to make a judgment as to whether that‘s wise or not. It‘s clearly an option that needs to be on the table," Connolly said. 

Towards the end of the interview, Raju asked, "Next week, will Joe Biden still be your candidate next week?"

"I don’t know, events are unfolding very fast and, you know, I want to create space for the president and the White House to make a careful, reflective, and patriotic decision," Connolly said.