Updated Thursday, July 11, at 2:39 a.m.
Vermont’s own Peter Welch on Wednesday became the first Democrat in the U.S. Senate to publicly call for President Joe Biden to end his campaign for reelection.
In an opinion piece published by the Washington Post, Welch argued that Biden’s “disastrous debate performance” two weeks earlier had made clear that he was not the right Democrat to take on former Republican President Donald Trump in November.
“For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race,” Welch wrote.
In an interview with VTDigger later Wednesday, the senator said his decision “really reflects what I’ve been hearing from Vermonters.”
“Everybody is absolutely terrified about another Trump presidency,” Welch said. “We can’t have another Donald Trump administration. That’s what I’ve been hearing from Vermonters. They’re right. And it’s not the elites. It’s everyday people.”
And though such Vermonters want “somebody who can carry on the Biden agenda,” Welch said, they don’t believe Biden himself is best positioned to do so. That’s because his recent debate appearance, Welch said, made clear that “the effects of age that await all of us have arrived on President Biden.”
Welch had grown increasingly vocal in recent days about his unease with Biden’s debate performance, telling VTDigger on Monday that viewers were “not going to unsee what they saw” and that Democrats should take the question of whether the president could win reelection “very, very seriously.” But Welch’s call for Biden to leave the race Wednesday represented a major shift for a longtime politician who has loyally supported fellow Democratic incumbents.
Nine Democrats in the U.S. House had already issued similar calls, according to the New York Times, but Welch was the first to do so publicly in the Senate. Earlier Wednesday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., strongly suggested that Biden leave the race, saying that “time is running short” to make up his mind.
The president himself has emphasized that he has made up his mind — and that he’s staying put.
Welch acknowledged in Wednesday’s interview with VTDigger that “there’s a risk of changing” presidential candidates just four months before the election but said “there’s a risk of staying with the present candidate.”
“My judgment is the lesser risk is going with the new candidate, with all the uncertainty that that involves,” he said. “And the reason I have confidence in that is all the people who have been mentioned as potential candidates fully embrace the Biden agenda.”
Welch would not say who he thought should replace Biden on the ticket.
“I think Democrats should determine that,” he said. “We can have a process where really qualified people present their case. You know, we’ve got time — and I believe we should have an open process and allow participation so everyday Democrats can help determine who will be our nominee.”