President Biden is facing a storm of criticism and pressure from some Democrats to withdraw from the presidential race, but on Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats have largely held firm to their support for the president, who has vowed to enter the race in 2024.
“As I’ve said before, I’m for Joe,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told waiting reporters as he returned from a recess this week.
While some in his caucus have raised questions or concerns about the president’s performance during the debates, no member of the Senate’s slim Democratic majority has so far openly called for President Biden’s resignation.
What some Democratic senators have done, however, is pressure the president to prove he is ready for a strong campaign and a second term.
President Biden speaks at a campaign event in Philadelphia on Sunday. Some Democratic senators have expressed concerns, but have so far refrained from turning on the president and calling for him to step aside
“More than a week after the debate and after conversations with my constituents, I believe President Biden must do more to demonstrate that he can campaign with a strong will to defeat Donald Trump,” Senate Majority Leader Patty Murray (D-WI) said in a statement.
“There is such a case that can be made against Donald Trump. President Biden needs to take the lead in building that case,” she continued.
She said they need to see a “much more forceful and energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the near future so he can convince voters he’s fit for the job.”
Her sentiments were shared by her Democratic colleague Senator Jon Tester, who faces a tough re-election in Montana.
“President Biden has to prove to the American people, including me, that he can do the job for another four years,” Tester told a local reporter.
“In the meantime, I will continue to do what I have always done: stand up to President Biden when he is wrong and protect our Montana way of life,” he added.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said Biden “has to prove to the American people” that he “is ready for four more years.”
Sen. Joe Manchin is rarely one to keep his opinions to himself, but when it comes to the state of the presidential election, he says it’s too early to pass judgment.
The outgoing West Virginia senator, who recently changed his party registration to independent but caucuses with Democrats, said he wants to see where the president goes and said it will take time. He argued that Biden can still win.
“Oh, I think it’s winnable, absolutely,” Manchin told reporters. “I’ve always said Donald Trump is a threat to democracy as we know it, so I think people are taking that very seriously. You can’t call the race now. This is ridiculous.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W. Va.) said the 2024 race is still “winnable” for Biden and that Trump is a “threat to democracy as we know it.”
Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado said it was “very important for us as Democrats to have an open discussion” so they can win control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. He stopped short of calling for the president to resign.
Sen. Tina Smith had a similar sentiment when she expressed “concerns” about Biden’s ability to beat Trump, saying she’s hearing that from people in her state of Minnesota. But she said she wants to discuss it with Democrats this week.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin also said she’s heard concerns about Biden’s ability to win the election. Baldwin, who is seeking re-election in the state at stake, said she thinks everyone is looking closely at his performance this week.
Sen. Mark Warner reportedly wanted to hold a meeting to discuss Biden’s support, but it was canceled when the senators returned to Washington.
Instead, Warner called for conversations about the strongest path forward. He also said Biden needed to “more aggressively make his case to the American people.”
Retiring Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow said there were concerns but declined to say whether anyone at Tuesday’s lunch with Senate Democrats called for the president to step aside. She likened it to a “private family conversation.”
Stabenow also praised Biden as the “best president” Michigan has ever had.
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) expressed her concerns but called for discussions among Democrats this week
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called for talks on the strongest path forward, saying Trump is a threat to democracy
Others gave a much stronger recommendation.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said Tuesday during a lunch with other Senate Democrats that nothing has changed.
“Nothing has changed. Joe Biden is our guy, he is my guy, and he is the only guy who ever beat up Trump,” Fetterman said.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, where the outcome is still uncertain, said in a statement that Biden won the Democratic nomination “in a landslide because he is committed to working people in this country.”
“He has always stood with the people of Nevada, whether it was the strikes, protecting our personal freedoms or cutting costs. Now it’s time for us to stand with him,” she said.
“We have to remember that President Biden has been a person for 30 years who stutters and occasionally makes minor grammatical errors, and not give him too much credit. He has been the most consistent president in my lifetime,” said Senator Chris Coons.
Biden’s former rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, also confirmed his support for Biden.
“Right now, President Biden is the Democratic nominee. Until I hear otherwise, I will support him,” Sanders said in an interview with CNN.
“I truly believe that if he makes it clear that he will stand up for working people and take on powerful special interests, he will win the election.”
Sanders wouldn’t speculate about his support for a replacement if Biden were no longer the nominee: “Right now, Biden is the Democratic nominee. Period.”
Other Democratic senators have so far not commented publicly on the president’s fitness for office or on the growing pressure from some party members for his resignation.
As questions mount for Senate Democrats, Republicans see Biden as a potential candidate to target vulnerable senators seeking re-election this year.
Several incumbent Democrats are running in states Trump won in 2020 and are facing stiff challenges from GOP opponents. The 2024 map appears more favorable to Republicans holding the Senate majority.
Republican candidates and party officials have used the president’s performance in debates in recent weeks to raise questions about Biden’s fitness to run and to attack Democratic senators by suggesting they are protecting the president and the White House.