The Senate’s first Democrat has publicly made it clear he doesn’t believe President Biden will be re-elected and warned of a possible Republican surge in November.
Sen. Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, confirmed reports that he told his colleagues that Biden could not beat former President Trump in November, hours after lawmakers met on Capitol Hill for the first time since 1990. The first presidential debate of the year.
“This race is on a very worrying trajectory,” Bennet told CNN on Tuesday. “I think Donald Trump is on track to win this election, probably in a landslide victory and take the Senate and the House of Representatives.”
Biden is facing growing calls from within his party for him to step down as the Democratic nominee after his performance in the first presidential debate raised concerns about his health and ability to perform his job.
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Senator Michael Bennet asked during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington, DC on May 12, 2021. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
“To me, this is not a polling issue. This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue about the future of our country,” Bennett said.
Bennet said voters have “deep concerns” about Biden’s candidacy and are debating whether he should remain the nominee given the importance of the election.
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“We should be having that discussion. I don’t think the White House has done anything since that disastrous debate to actually indicate that they have a plan to win this election,” Bennet said.
President Biden will debate former President Trump at CNN studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/Getty Images)
According to the report, first reported by Axios, Democratic Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) also told colleagues in a private meeting that they were not confident that Biden would win the general election.
Fox News Digital asked Tester on Capitol Hill if the report was true, but he did not respond to reporters’ questions.
Former President Trump spoke at a rally at Greenbriar Farm in Chesapeake, Virginia on June 28, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Bennet was the first Senate Democrat to publicly call on the president to reconsider his reelection effort, but he joined seven House Democrats who said after the presidential debate that Biden should withdraw his candidacy.
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House Democrats who have publicly called on the president to drop out of the race include Reps. Mike Quigley of Illinois, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Adam Smith of Washington and Mickey Sherrill of New Jersey.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
