Chuck Schumer pushed to delay DNC as concerns persist over Biden’s candidacy

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has pushed for postponing the Democratic National Convention amid lingering questions about President Biden’s 2024 presidential bid, according to multiple sources.

Schumer met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and the two agreed to ask the Democratic National Committee to postpone the virtual roll call for Biden’s formal nomination, which was scheduled for this month, three sources told Fox News Digital.

It was revealed on Wednesday that the Democratic National Committee is delaying plans to nominate Biden until August after receiving significant backlash from party members over its original plan to nominate Biden later this month.

“After consultation with the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic National Convention, we have confirmed that virtual voting will not begin before August 1,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, co-chairman of the DNC Rules Committee, and veteran Democratic official Leah Daughtry wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Both Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries agreed to lobby the Democratic National Committee to delay the roll call. (Getty Images)

The news comes after a number of Democratic lawmakers wrote to the Democratic National Committee expressing their opposition to the July roll call and nomination. “Dear Committee Members, I am writing to express serious concerns about the Democratic National Committee’s plans to hold a ‘virtual roll call’ to select the Democratic presidential nominee as soon as July 21,” the letter, obtained by Fox News, read.

“This extraordinary and unprecedented step, which effectively speeds up the nomination process by nearly a month, has no legal justification,” he continued.

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Walz is co-chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules Committee. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)

The letter acknowledged that the original purpose of the early roll call was to satisfy Ohio’s voting requirements, but noted that the state had enacted legislation several weeks earlier to address any barriers to Democratic candidates’ access to the ballot.

Democrats suggested an early roll call could be perceived as a “purely political ploy,” especially since Biden has welcomed challenges from lawmakers at the caucus.

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US President Joe Biden and the Capitol. (Getty Images)

“Despite any reports, our goal is not a fast-track process,” Walz and Daughtry assured members in a letter Wednesday. “Our goal is to uphold our tradition of transparency and maintain our commitment to an effective nomination process that puts our candidates on the ballot in every state, and ultimately, puts our candidates on a path to victory in November.”

“We are in no rush to do any of this,” they reiterated. “Unlike other major political parties in our country, our rules are decided in public meetings and are rooted in our party charter and traditions. And that will continue in the 2024 elections, because with so much at stake, we must.”

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Schiff became the 20th Democratic senator to call on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. (Getty Images)

The postponement of the virtual Democratic National Convention roll call comes as Democrats continue to oppose Biden’s continued 2024 presidential bid.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday became the 20th Democrat to call on Biden to step down. “I believe it is time for Biden to pass the baton,” Schiff said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

His call came the day after he was reported to have told donors, “If he becomes the nominee, I think we’re going to lose.”

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Schiff’s campaign declined to comment to Fox News Digital about the report.

But earlier this month he publicly expressed doubts about Biden, telling NBC News that “I think his performance on the debate stage has rightly raised questions among the American people about whether he has the ability to defeat Donald Trump.”

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

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