Should Biden step down? Here’s what Virginia's senators think

RICHMOND, Va. -- As speculation continues to intensify over whether or not President Joe Biden will suspend his reelection campaign — a story that twists and turns by the minute it seems — Virginia's U.S. Senators are sharing where they stand.

Sen. Mark Warner was in Richmond at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to talk with business owners, local party leaders, and others about tourism. This visit comes a few weeks after CNN Travel named Richmond the best mid-sized city to travel to.

“As someone who lived here for four years as Governor, I know what a great city this is,” he said.

He called the recognition “long overdue”, lauding the city for embracing diversity, acknowledging its history, and the vibrant food scene: “You’ve also kept that local flavor."

Pivoting to politics, Warner spoke with CBS 6 about where he stands on the state of the Democratic ticket this November, making it abundantly clear where his top priority lies.

"We’ve got to defeat Donald Trump. That’s what I’m committed to doing,” he said.

Warner said the former president’s appearance Thursday night at the Republican National Convention was typical Trump. After 20 minutes of a subdued tone Trump continued to "paint a very dark picture” of the country.

Whether or not he thinks President Joe Biden is the best for the job in the coming years, he hasn’t fully let on yet — on the record, at least.

Following criticism of Biden’s debate performance in June, Warner was reportedly one of the highest-ranking Democrats in Washington to voice concerns, and rally colleagues around the idea of calling on the President to step down, according to a Washington Post report two weeks ago.

“I have a lot of respect for President Biden’s record, but I and others are engaged in an awful lot of conversation about [the] best path forward,” he said. “At least for the next couple of days, I’m going to keep those conversations private.”

WATCH: Biden pushes party unity as he resists calls to step aside

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va), shared a similar sentiment — though much like his counterpart, he has not said definitively where he comes down on the issue.

“I believe Joe Biden is going to make the right decision for the United States,” he said. “I'm not in the inner circle in those discussions... I am sharing my views privately with the White House.”

He spoke to Biden’s achievements as president: “The best measure of his capability is the record that he's put together and the record has been extremely solid.”

Kaine has a vested interest in the issue of Biden’s candidacy, given that he is up for re-election this fall too. Kaine spoke to Virginia reporters from the US-Mexico border where he met with officials there about efforts to slow down human trafficking and fentanyl.

“The investments we've been making in the fentanyl interdiction technology are working. We just need to do more of it," Kaine said, adding he was deeply involved in the bipartisan border security bill that failed earlier in the year.

"President Trump encouraged Republicans to oppose it on the grounds that we do not want to fix this problem. We want to complain about it," Kaine said.

CBS 6 reached out to Kaine’s Republican opponent, retired Navy Cpt. Hung Cao, about Kaine's visit and Biden’s decision.

"Tim Kaine's thirty years in elected office have been one giant photo op. His open border is a life or death issue for families all across Virginia. Tim Kaine feels bad for illegal aliens, and I don't. They need to go back," Cao said.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, with early voting starting in Virginia on Sept. 20.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

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