Former Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan says his party must have the “guts” to swap out President Biden for Vice President Kamala Harris on the November ballot.
Following his widely panned debate performance, public pressure has increased on Mr. Biden to rethink his reelection plans and allow a fresh face to step up, though the demands are almost entirely coming from former — not current — elected leaders.
Mr. Ryan, a moderate in the party who lost a high-profile Ohio Senate race against J.D. Vance in the 2022 midterms and briefly ran for president in 2020, said he backed Mr. Biden four years ago because he was an “honorable” man who understood the working class and who could serve as a bridge to the next generation of party leaders.
“Regrettably, that bridge collapsed last week. Witnessing Joe Biden struggle was heartbreaking. And we must forge a new path forward,” Mr. Ryan said in a Newsweek op-ed. “After deep reflection over these past few days, I strongly believe that our best path forward is Kamala Harris.”
“Those who say that a Harris candidacy is a greater risk than the Joe Biden we saw the other night and will continue to see are not living in reality,” he said. “It is not just utterly preposterous for the haters to say that, it is insulting.”
Ms. Harris would be the natural replacement choice given that she has served alongside Mr. Biden for the past three-plus years.
But the former California senator and state attorney general has been dogged by stories about staff turnover and the lingering sense that she could struggle to cobble together a winning coalition in a general election race.
Former President Donald Trump and Republicans have welcomed the prospect of Ms. Harris replacing Mr. Biden.
In his op-ed, Mr. Ryan argued that Ms. Harris has been underestimated.
He said Ms. Harris’ post-debate defense of Mr. Biden served as a reminder of how she has honed her political skills in recent years and can deliver a “much more convincing Democratic message than President Biden, especially on the abortion issue.”
“She would boldly tell Donald Trump that his hands have been on enough women’s bodies without their consent and ensure that American women are protected from his attempts to control their health care decisions,” he wrote. “She would energize the Black, Brown, and Asian Pacific members of our coalition.”
“She would immediately pull the dispirited youth of our country back into the fold,” Mr. Ryan said. “And a vibrant campaign that shows her strength, personality and intelligence will have Democratic and Republican suburban women feeling much more comfortable with her than either Donald Trump or Joe Biden.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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