Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) predicted in a new interview that former President Biden will lose the November election to former President Trump, adding to a growing group of Democrats who question Biden’s chances after his dismal performance in last week’s debate.
“About 50 million Americans tuned in and watched the debate. I was one of them for about five very painful minutes. We all saw what we saw, you can’t undo it, and the truth, I think, is that Biden is going to lose to Trump,” said Gluesenkamp Perez. KATU Newsin an interview that will air Sunday.
“I know it’s difficult, but I think this debate has caused damage,” he added.
Gluesenkamp Perez, a first-term congresswoman, won a Republican-held seat in 2022 by winning the election against Republican Joe Kent. Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan index, ranks Evergreen State seat like a bid for the 2024 race.
She also failed to pressure Biden to drop out of the race as calls for him to resign grew. Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in Congress to call for the president’s resignation on Tuesday.
“A fundamental principle of democracy is accepting the results of an election and the reality is that voting in the primaries has already happened to the point that Biden is the nominee,” said Gluesenkamp Perez.
She is not the only Democrat vulnerable to suggesting Biden will lose the election without calling on him to drop out. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News titled, “Donald Trump will win the election and democracy will be fine.”
“Although I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump will win,” said Golden wrote in the play published Tuesday. “And I’m okay with that.”
Biden’s rocky debate performance has raised concerns among members of his own party about whether he is the best candidate to put forward. Early post-debate polls show Biden losing ground to Trump after last week’s performance.
The Biden campaign has tried to calm concerns in recent days. The White House sidestepped questions about Biden’s mental state Tuesday after the forum, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying she was taking concerns about Biden’s ability to serve seriously.
“I see it as a legitimate question, I see it and I understand it, it’s a fair question to ask. The president sees this as a legitimate issue,” said Jean-Pierre. “We’re recognizing what people are seeing.”
The Hill has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
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