Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Wednesday became the first Senate Democrat to publicly call on President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
Welch wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that although he has “great respect” for the president, whom he calls one of the best in his life, it is time for Biden to step aside for the good of the country.
“I, like people across the country, am worried about the November elections. The stakes couldn’t be higher. We cannot ignore President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night,” Welch said. “I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and he wants to do it again.”
“But he needs to reevaluate whether he is the best candidate for this. In my opinion, he is not,” he continued. “For the good of the country, I ask President Biden to withdraw from the race.”
The Vermont Democrat becomes the 10th Democratic member of Congress to call on Biden to step aside from the ticket, joining nine members of the House.
Welch, a first-term senator who has served eight terms in the House, wrote that Democrats face potential political devastation in November without a change at the top of the ticket. He added that only Biden can change the “national conversation,” which is centered on the president’s “age and ability.”
“I make this assessment with sadness. Vermont loves Joe Biden,” he said, adding that Biden won his highest percentage of the vote in Vermont four years ago. “But regular Vermonters are worried that he might not win this time and are scared of another Trump presidency. These are real concerns from the regular voters I’ve heard from recently – like a mother who relies on the child tax credit and seniors who rely on Medicare.”
He also praised potential replacements, calling Vice President Harris a “capable and proven leader” and praising the “deep bench” in the party reserves that includes “energizing” governors and senators from swing states.
“We asked President Biden to do so much for so many people for so long. He demanded unparalleled selflessness and courage,” Welch wrote. “We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I ask him to do so now.”
The move comes after days of internal criticism from Senate Democrats, headlined by Tuesday’s weekly luncheon where Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont. ) said they believe Biden will lose in November.
Bennet made his thoughts public hours later, saying in a television interview that Biden’s presence on the ticket could lead to a “crushing landslide.” However, he didn’t go as far as Welch.
It also comes as more cracks emerge in Democratic support across Congress and beyond, just a day after the tide appeared to briefly turn in Biden’s favor.
Biden’s top advisers are scheduled to address Senate Democrats during the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee luncheon on Thursday, a move that comes hours before the president’s planned one-on-one news conference as part of the NATO summit in downtown Washington.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
