Rep. Mike Quigley on Tuesday said President Biden must consider the impact on down-ticket Democrats if he stays in the race after his disastrous debate showing.
The Illinois Democrat said Mr. Biden has been one of the greatest presidents but that he “has to be honest with himself” about his reelection bid and said the party has to be “honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night.”
“His decision not only impacts who’s going to serve in the White House the next four years, but who’s going to serve in the Senate, who’s going to serve in the House, and it will have implications for decades to come,” Mr. Quigley said on CNN.
“I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much it impacts, not just his race, but all the other races coming in November,” he said, adding he didn’t want to delve deeper into the issue out of respect for Mr. Biden.
Mr. Quigley’s careful choice of words indicates how congressional Democrats and party leaders have refused to publicly demand Mr. Biden drop out of the race and have chosen to put the onus on the president to make his own decision.
But the response — or the lack thereof — from Democrats running in competitive Senate races has been telling in the wake of Mr. Biden’s bumbling performance versus a strong Donald Trump on Thursday.
Those Democrats have steered clear of weighing in on the performance, while their Republican rivals have pounced.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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