The first sitting Democratic member of Congress has officially called on President Joe Biden to drop out: The representative of Texas’ 37th Congressional District, Lloyd Doggett, put out a statement Tuesday publicly requesting that the president withdraw from the 2024 election. Although Doggett joins a chorus of calls from just outside the Democratic Party—former members of Congress, current candidates—he is officially the first to break the seal in a quickly evolving situation regarding the president’s reelection.

“I represent the heart of the congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same. While much of his work has been transformational, he pledged to be transitional,” wrote Doggett. Citing the recent Supreme Court decision bestowing criminal immunity on presidents, Doggett added, “President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020. He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024.”

The statement, laudatory but stern, is a groundshaking development for the embattled president. Despite the undeniable debacle of Thursday’s debate, elected Democrats have remained fearful of stepping out and calling on Biden to withdraw. No longer. Yet for many Americans, even for many Democrats, the first question that comes to mind is: Who is Lloyd Doggett?

Doggett represents Austin, Texas, a blue stronghold in the middle of the notoriously red state. He is no spring chicken himself; Doggett is 77 years old and has been in Congress since 1995.

Nor is he a household name. Doggett is a longtime progressive, a member of the Progressive Caucus and a co-sponsor of Medicare for All. He is renowned among congressional operatives and aides for his ability to get bills started. But he is not an attention grabber or a rabble-rouser; no one would confuse him for a power broker or a member of the Squad (or,........

© Slate