Ohio Democrat to Biden: ‘Now is the time to act, but time is running out’

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) stopped short of calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race, but argued Monday that “time is running out” for him to defend his candidacy.

“We need to strengthen our democracy, restore reproductive freedom, and build a tax code and economy around and for workers. And we need to do so with character and integrity, pragmatism, reliability and bipartisanship,” Landsman, who represents Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, said in a statement.

“These are the risks of this election. They couldn’t be louder,” he continued. “President Biden has to be able to make this case clearly to the American people, over and over again. Now is the time to act, but time is running out.”

Landsman’s district, which includes Cincinnati, is generally considered safe for Democrats. The Cook Political Report currently lists him as a “likely Democrat,” and the Hill/Decision Desk HQ election analyst currently gives Landsman an 85 percent chance of winning in November.

The Ohio Democrat argued that former President Trump is “unfit to be president” and called him “an extremist and chaotic machine,” criticizing Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the issue of abortion access and for his recent conviction while in office in New York. silence case money.

A spokesperson for the House Republicans’ campaign arm called Landsman’s statement an “election year stunt.”

“Greg Landsman thinks his voters are fools for trying to pull a false stunt in an election year, and he still hasn’t answered the question on everyone’s minds: ‘Is Joe Biden fit to serve as president?’ Landsman’s voters will certainly punish him in November,” Mike Marinella, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.

Five House Democrats publicly called on the president to withdraw from the race, more than a week after Biden delivered a disastrous debate performance against Trump. Four top House Democrats said during a private call Sunday that Biden needed to withdraw.

However, the president has been adamant about staying in the race — even making a last-minute call to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday morning and promising that “the bottom line here is that we’re not going anywhere.” none”.

Biden also addressed congressional Democrats who have expressed concerns about his candidacy in a letter issued by his campaign, saying in part: “I have heard the concerns people have – their good faith fears and concerns about what is at stake in this election. . I am not blind to them.”

“I can respond to all of this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I didn’t absolutely think I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024,” he added.

Updated at 1:37 p.m.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story