UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 28: Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., talks with reporters after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden’s candidacy remains under scrutiny as the first Senate Democrat, Peter Welch of Vermont, publicly called for Biden to end his campaign on Wednesday.
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post published Wednesday evening, Welch wrote that “the stakes could not be higher.”
“We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance,” Welch wrote. “We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night.”
The first-term senator said he is calling on Biden to withdraw “with sadness.”
“Vermont loves Joe Biden,” Welch said. “President Biden and Vice President Harris received a larger vote percentage here than in any other state. But regular Vermonters are worried that he can’t win this time, and they’re terrified of another Trump presidency.”
He wrote that the threat of Trump, and the agenda his allies have laid out in Project 2025, is too great, and shifts in polling in key swing states can't be ignored.
"We have asked President Biden to do so much for so many for so long. It has required unmatched selflessness and courage. We need him to put us first, as he has done before," Welch wrote. "I urge him to do it now."
