Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, urged vulnerable Democrats to distance themselves from President Joe Biden in order to be reelected, The Hill reported.
"My concerns are the concerns that everybody has," said Veasey, who is Black. "What I said this morning and expressed to my colleagues, particularly from members on the front line, is that I think they need to do whatever it is they need to do in order to come back and be reelected, and so if they need to distance themselves, then that's what they need to do."
Seven House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to suspend his reelection campaign after a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey became the seventh House Democrat to publicly call on Biden to not run for reelection, saying with Trump seeking to return to the White House, "the stakes are too high — and the threat is too real — to stay silent," The Associated Press reported.
Senior leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus have repeatedly declared their support for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The support from CBC members is crucial if Biden hopes to win Black voter support in November. The coalition was critical in sending him to the White House in 2020.
During a virtual meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday, Biden thanked members and asked for their continued support, according to two people on the call who spoke to ABC News.
"I need you; I'm not going to disappoint you, I promise you," the president told the members, one of the call participants said.
ABC News reported that three Black Democrat senators also joined the call, as the president looks to shore up support among black voters, the bedrock of the Democratic Party.