Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) became the first Democratic senator to call on President Joe Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee on Wednesday night.
The Vermont senator, in an op-ed in the Washington Post , asked Biden to step aside with “the national conversation” “focused on Biden’s age and capacity.”
“I, like folks across the country, am worried about November’s election. The stakes could not be higher,” Welch wrote. “We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night.
“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again,” he added.
“But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not,” he continued. “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.”
Welch went on to explain that he’s made the decision based on the concerns of voters from his state.
"Vermont loves Joe Biden. President Biden and Vice President Harris received a larger vote percentage here than in any other state. But regular Vermonters are worried that he can’t win this time, and they’re terrified of another Trump presidency," he added.
The Vermont senator appeared to be hinting he was growing more concerned about Biden's electability, speaking with reporters earlier on Wednesday afternoon. Welch downplayed the impact of Biden's looming news conference at the NATO summit on Thursday, which some Democrats have acknowledged will be critical to show he has the energy and mental capacity to face Trump in the presidential election.
"You're focusing on a single event, because that's one that's coming up, and then there'll be another event next week and you'll focus on that. And what it suggests is that this question of aging capacity simply won't go away," Welch said.
"It's hard to see it. That was a bug concern of voters going into the debate and that concern intensified after," he added.
Welch joins nine House Democrats who have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race after his poor debate performance and months of gaffes and mishaps. Of the 10, three Democrats spoke out after the caucus met in both chambers on Tuesday from which members left divided — some thought there was almost complete unity, while others felt like they still weren’t in sync.
According to reporting from Axios, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is privately signaling that he could be open to a Democratic presidential ticket that does not include Biden at the top. The New York senator has repeatedly said publicly that he supports Biden and is committed to ensuring Trump is defeated in the election.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), two of the chamber's most vulnerable Democrats, expressed concern about Biden's ability to win in a caucus meeting on Tuesday. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a critical ally of President Biden, emphasized the Senate Democratic Leader was taking the concerns of vulnerable red-state Democrats seriously.
"I have confidence that he is listening to the members of his caucus. He is certainly calling all of us and asking for input," Coons said in response to a question to the Washington Examiner.
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"Of all the senators I know, Senator Schumer is probably the most focused on making sure we retain our majority and is working relentlessly to engage with and hear from our caucus members," he added.
Welch's call for Biden to drop out comes ahead of a special caucus lunch on Thursday where Senate Democrats will huddle with senior Biden advisors at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) headquarters. Senators will meet with advisors Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti and Biden Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon, according to a Senate Democratic Leadership source.
Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.
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