Democrats, who are at risk of losing seats to Republicans, appear to be abandoning President Biden after his performance in Thursday’s presidential debate was widely deemed “disastrous.”
Fox News Digital asked several Democratic senators, representatives and candidates facing tough races for their reaction to the debate and whether they agreed with the assessment of others in their party that Biden should step down as a presidential candidate.
There was no one to defend him.
Republicans declare Biden ‘unfit for office’ after ‘disastrous’ debate performance
Jon Tester, Jacky Rosen, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin, Senator Bob Casey (Getty Images)
Notably absent from speaking out in Biden’s defense were Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), all of whom have recently praised the president.
Tester, for example, previously said of Biden that he was “100 percent for him,” adding, “He’s OK. He’s doing a good job. I think people are making a lot more of a fuss about him than he is.” Republicans are using those exact words in statewide ads to attack Biden.
After the debate, Baldwin’s campaign distanced itself from Biden, telling a news outlet on Friday that “Tammy Baldwin is running her own campaign for the people of Wisconsin.”
Biden criticized for ‘old’ appearance and ‘weak’ voice during first presidential debate: ‘Very disturbing’
“Senate Democrats have been telling the public that Joe Biden is still smart. Jon Tester went so far as to say Biden is ‘absolutely 100% serious.’ They’ve clearly been lying, and voters will remember that in November,” Mike Berg, communications director for the Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, a leading Democratic Senate candidate in Arizona, Rep. Collin Allred, a leading Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a leading Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, and Rep. Angela Alsobrooks, a leading Democratic Senate candidate in Maryland, also failed to defend Biden when asked about the debate.
Democratic congresswomen facing tough races, such as Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, are taking a similar approach. The Republican National Congressional Committee posted a video on social media on Friday of Kaptur being followed at an airport by GOP operatives and questioned about whether Biden is “fit to be president.”
Body language expert slams Biden-Trump debate: ‘It was like a dead man walking’
“Joe Biden is the president,” Kaptur said, refusing to answer directly. When pressed by the operative, Kaptur said only, “Are you fit to be president?”
Kaptur’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes is running closely in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District in 2022, and the Cook Political Report has rated the 2024 race a “close Democratic race.” Fox News Digital reached out to Sykes’ office but did not receive a response.
In Washington state, Democratic Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez faces a tough reelection race that the Cook Political Report rates as a “50-50 Democrat” race. Her office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio also faces a likely tough fight for reelection this year, but acknowledged that other lawmakers have not conceded.
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“Biden had a tough fight, but he’s an honest man who cares deeply about the country. Trump is a con man who only cares about himself,” Landsman told Fox News Digital.
“I don’t know what’s next. My job is clear: to serve the 700,000 people we represent, to reduce costs, to strengthen our democracy, to restore our freedoms and to improve the lives of children and families by solving the big problems we face so families don’t have to worry as much as they do now.”
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
