At least one Mass. lawmaker thinks Biden should step aside

State Sen. Jason Lewis said that last week's debate showed that President Joe Biden is not up to the task of forcefully confronting Donald Trump.

As the ramifications of President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance last week continue to reverberate throughout the Democratic Party, at least one elected official in Massachusetts is calling for him to step aside in favor of a younger candidate.

State Sen. Jason Lewis took to social media Friday to make the case.

“President Biden has contributed a lifetime of distinguished public service to our nation. In 2020, he rose to the challenge of defeating Donald Trump and restoring dignity and honor to the presidency. Under his leadership, our country has made tremendous progress. But now it is time for him to step aside,” Lewis wrote.

The party is full of talented politicians capable of taking on Trump, Lewis said, as he called for an open convention in August and urged his fellow Democrats to join him in this effort.

Biden’s low-energy performance pushed concerns about his age to the forefront of the campaign, causing many media members and some party insiders to say that he should be replaced at the top of the ticket.

But a move like that is still seen as unlikely. Potential replacements like Vice President Kamala Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom raced to publicly disavow any talk of swapping out Biden. The president himself, while acknowledging that he did not have a strong debate, delivered an energetic campaign speech a day later and vowed to defeat Trump again.

Biden’s family, widely seen as crucial to his decision-making, is reportedly pushing him to stay in the race and strategizing ways to reassure anxious Democrats. Some of the blame is now being publicly shifted to the small circle of advisers who were responsible for prepping the president for the debate.

Top Democrats in Massachusetts stood by Biden as well. Gov. Maura Healey admitted Biden’s debate performance was “tough to watch” but focused her public comments on Trump’s numerous lies, his hand in overturning Roe v. Wade, and his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election. Attorney General Andrea Campbell said she would “absolutely not” call on Biden to step aside in an interview with WCVB. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called Biden a “strong champion for working people” after the debate.

In a follow-up post, Lewis offered more context to his initial push to replace Biden. While Biden can claim a “very successful presidency with historic legislative accomplishments,” he has lagged behind Trump in battleground state polls for months and is not up to the task of forcefully confronting his rival, Lewis said.

“My deep concern about President Biden’s debate performance is not just that he was incoherent, but that he completely failed at prosecuting the case against Donald Trump. Trump is a twice-impeached, convicted felon and sexual predator whose policies would be disastrous for America. We need a Democratic presidential nominee who can punch him effectively every single day from now until the election,” he said.

Although he called for an open convention, Lewis said that Harris would be a “terrific” option among a number of leaders who could seek out the nomination.

In an interview with GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Friday, Lewis even floated Healey’s name while speaking about Harris, Whitmer, Newsom, and other potential replacements.

On social media, he acknowledged that an extraordinary change like this, so late into a campaign, would be risky. But an open convention would capture the nation’s attention. The “high drama” would draw massive amounts of media coverage, he said, and whoever emerged as the nominee would “skyrocket overnight in terms of national profile and recognition.”

Ultimately, Lewis said that Biden would need to make the decision to step down on his own. If he does not, Lewis promised to fully support Biden and to do everything in his power to help with the reelection effort.