(The Center Square) – Washington Congressman Adam Smith has joined other Democratic lawmakers across the country calling for President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race due to concerns about his health.
In a statement, Smith wrote that, “This must happen as soon as possible to give the new ticket the maximum amount of time to make its case to the American people. Any candidate for the highest office in our nation has a strong burden to bear. That candidate must be able to clearly, articulately, and strongly make his or her case to the American people. It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden.”
However, he also wrote that “if President Biden runs, I will back him one hundred percent and without reservation. Elections are, after all, a choice. The President would still be, by a wide margin, the best candidate in the current field. He has done an outstanding job as President and our country will always owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for the job he has done. But no candidate is owed another term in office based solely on past performance. Every new term must be earned with the clear understanding of what that candidate will be capable of doing in the term to come.”
Democrats in Congress have been calling for Biden to step down following his performance during the June 27 debate, in which the president had difficulty speaking and at one point said “we finally beat Medicare.”
Biden in a July 8 letter to Democrats wrote that he would remain in the race, posting on X that “it’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”
