Rep. Hillary Scholten on Thursday became the 10th House Democrat to call on President Biden to leave the presidential race.
“President Biden has spent his life serving our nation and building the next generation of American leadership,” Ms. Scholten, Michigan Democrat, said in a statement on X. “For the good of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up.”
However, she said the choice belongs to “the president and the president alone.”
“I will respect his decision if he chooses to remain in the race, and I will still vote for him as a clear and necessary alternative to Donald Trump,” she noted.
She said it would be “for the good of our democracy” if Mr. Biden stepped down.
“With the challenges facing our country in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket — not just to win, but to govern,” she said, adding that it’s time to “pass the torch.”
The nine other House Democrats pressing the president to drop out include Oregon’s Earl Blumenauer and New York’s Pat Ryan, who joined the rush Wednesday.
Also that day, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch became the first Senate Democrat to call for someone else to top the ticket.
The movement was sparked by Mr. Biden’s incoherent debate performance last month versus a strong, clear Mr. Trump. The president and his campaign have maintained he’s not dropping out.
Later Thursday, Rep. Brad Schneider, of Illinois, joined in to become the 11th House Democrat and 12th Democratic lawmaker to call on Mr. Biden to drop out.
“I love President Biden. I am forever grateful for his leadership and service to our nation,” he said. “The time has come, however, for President Biden to heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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