US Democratic senator becomes first to call for Biden to resign as candidate

Vermont Senator Peter Welch on Wednesday (10) became the first Democratic senator to ask President Joe Biden to step down as the party’s presidential candidate.

“The stakes could not be higher. We cannot ignore President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid issues raised since that night,” Welch said in a Washington Post op-ed that highlighted her “great respect” for the president.

“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and he wants to do it again,” Welch continued.

“But he needs to reevaluate whether he is the best candidate for this. In my opinion, he is not. For the good of the country, I urge President Biden to withdraw from the race,” the senator concluded.

Welch called Vice President Kamala Harris “a capable and proven leader” and said the party has “other electable, young and energetic Democratic governors and senators in swing states.”

The Democratic senator is from a majority-Democratic state, and highlighted in the article: “Vermont loves Joe Biden.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris received a higher percentage of the vote here than in any other state. But regular Vermonters are worried that he might not win this time and are fearful of another Trump presidency,” Welch added.

The Vermont Democrat’s comments make him the 10th Democratic congressman to call for Biden’s resignation, the others so far being his former colleagues in the House.

Democrats challenge Biden’s candidacy

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet on Tuesday (9) became the first Democratic senator to publicly say he does not believe Biden is capable of being reelected, but stopped short of calling for the current president to withdraw his candidacy.

“I think Donald Trump is on track to win this election, and perhaps win it by a landslide, and take the Senate and the House with him,” Bennet told Kaitlan Collins of CNN .

Other senators — Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who are the two most vulnerable incumbents facing re-election — raised similar concerns about Biden’s ability to win at a Senate Democratic luncheon on Tuesday (9), CNN previously reported.

Other senators show support for Biden

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate, has previously said he supports Biden remaining the nominee.

He disagreed with the assessment of Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, who told CNN on Tuesday (9) that he thought Biden could lose in a “landing victory” to Donald Trump.

And California Senator Alex Padilla also noted that he disagreed with colleagues who thought Biden would lose and cost the Democratic Party its majority in Congress.

“I still think there is a path forward not only for the president to win reelection, but for Democrats to maintain the majority in the Senate and regain the majority in the House,” Padilla said.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden defended Biden, saying: “I’ll tell you what I’m telling my constituents back home, it was a very tough night of debate. But if you elect Donald Trump, it’s going to be four years of terribly tough nights.”

Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire said: “He has been an excellent president, working to reduce costs, [mas] There is still more work to be done. Working to preserve citizenship and equality for women in our country.”

“He gave a great speech at NATO yesterday. Donald Trump has had a truly horrible presidency and is a real threat to our democracy. He bragged about taking away a woman’s most fundamental right, he will make us less safe and he will further divide our politics,” the congresswoman said.