Biden seeks boost in Pennsylvania as calls for him to quit race mount

Trip to swing state comes ahead of critical week with lawmakers returning from recess

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania - An embattled US President Joe Biden faced escalating pressure from fellow Democrats worried about his candidacy on July 7, concerns he worked to ease with campaign stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Mr Biden, 81, faces growing calls to end his re-election bid after a halting performance in a June 27 debate with Republican Donald Trump, 78, raised questions about his ability to do the job for another four years. He has vowed to stay in the race, dismissing calls for him to drop out as "nonsense" in a fundraising e-mail on July 6.

On July 7, the Democratic President received a warm welcome at a black church in Philadelphia and later travelled to the Pennsylvania state capital, Harrisburg, for an event with union members. Black voters are a critical part of Mr Biden's base of support and recent public opinion polling has shown their support for him softening.

On a leadership call on July 7 organised by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, some House Democrats said Mr Biden should step aside as presidential candidate, a source familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Adam Smith, Mark Takano and Joe Morelle, senior House Democrats who sit on the Judiciary, Armed commitServices, Veterans Affairs and House Administration tees, were among those who called on Mr Biden to step aside, according to media reports.

Democrats also suggested that Vice-President Kamala Harris, seen as the likeliest candidate to replace Mr Biden in the Nov 5 election were he to bow out, could perform well. The coming week is crucial, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on CNN's State Of The Union. He encouraged the President to hold a town hall meeting or news conference to convince voters he is "the old Joe Biden".

"The President needs to do more," Mr Murphy said. "I do think the clock is ticking."