Embattled Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), who faces an uphill reelection battle in his purple state, has called upon President Joe Biden to step out of the 2024 race.
Tester said in a statement to Daily Montanan that he has the upmost respect for Joe Biden’s service as president while believing he should step aside.
“Montanans have put their trust in me to do what is right, and it is a responsibility I take seriously. I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong,” Tester said. “And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term.”
According to Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “was given a heads up ahead of Tester’s announcement, and he told Tester that he should do whatever he thinks is best, per a source with knowledge.”
👀 SCHUMER was given a heads up ahead of Tester’s announcement, and he told Tester that he should do whatever he thinks is best, per a source with knowledge. https://t.co/aR8EPCUMXQ
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) July 19, 2024
Tester joined Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) as the only prominent Democrat in the U.S. Senate to call on Biden to step aside.
According to the New York Times, several people close to Biden said on Thursday that the president has “begun to accept the idea that he may not be able to win in November and may have to drop out of the race, bowing to the growing demands of many anxious members of his party.”
Elder said that black women Democrats – a core constituency – would not show up and vote if Kamala Harris did not get the nomination, which means the party would have no choice but to run her.
Though one source close to the president said that Biden has not yet made up his mind on whether or not to leave the race, another said that the “reality is setting in” and that Biden might very well make “an announcement soon endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.” The Times noted:
This account is based on interviews with four people close to the president, all of whom described the situation as extremely delicate and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid offending the president. Mr. Biden remained in isolation at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after being diagnosed with Covid on Wednesday.
Contradicting reports have been spreading on social media as to what the president’s next move might be. While the New York Times‘ source said Biden might endorse Kamala Harris immediately, reporter Mark Halperin said that “multiple sources” have claimed the president will leave the next nominee to be decided by an open convention.
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