First Democratic senator urges President Biden to exit race 'for the good of the country'
July 10 (UPI) -- Vermont Sen. Peter Welch has become the first Democratic senator to call on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race "for the good of the country."
Welch revealed his stance in a Washington Post opinion piece Wednesday evening, as he expressed his "great respect" for the president.
"He is a man of uncommon decency. He cares deeply about our democracy. He has been one of the best presidents of our time," Welch wrote.
"But I, like folks across the country, am worried about November's election. The stakes could not be higher. We cannot unsee President Biden's disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised that night," Welch added.
"For the good of the country, I am calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race."
Welch is the 10th congressional Democrat to urge Biden to step aside. While nine Democratic members of the House of Representatives have called on Biden to withdraw from the race, other Democratic senators have stopped short of urging his withdrawal.
Biden campaign advisers have scheduled a meeting for Thursday with Senate Democrats to discuss his presidential campaign and chances of winning re-election.
Biden has said he will not withdraw from the race, citing Democratic Party state primaries and his 3,896 delegates, as he called his debate performance "one bad night" following decades of political success.
"I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again," Welch wrote Wednesday in his op-ed. "But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not."
As Welch criticized Trump's "extremist agenda" for a second term and touted Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats as possible replacements, he lamented the "national conversation is now focused on Biden's age," saying "I deliver this assessment with sadness."
"We have asked President Biden to do so much for so many for so long. It has required unmatched selflessness and courage," Welch concluded.
"We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now."
