Democratic congressional candidate Adam Frisch joined calls for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race following his poor performance in last week’s debate, arguing Tuesday that it would be “best for the country.”
Frisch, who is running in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, said Biden’s performance “only strengthened” the case that neither Biden nor former President Trump should seek reelection to the White House.
“We need a president who can unite America and realize our country’s limitless potential,” Frisch said in a statement Tuesday. “We deserve better. President Biden should do what’s best for our country and withdraw from the race.”
“I thank President Biden for his years of service,” he added, “but the journey ahead requires a new generation of leadership to lead our country forward.”
Frisch’s comments came less than a week after Biden, 81, faced off against Trump, 78, in the first debate of the 2024 general election, during which the incumbent Biden stumbled over his words and appeared to lose his train of thought.
Biden’s lackluster debate performance has raised concerns within the Democratic Party about whether he can defeat Trump in November and lead the country for another four years.
The president and his reelection campaign insisted last week that he has no intention of dropping out of the race. Biden has already won the primaries and secured a majority of delegates, meaning he cannot be easily ousted at the Democratic National Convention in August. The final decision is up to the president.
While some unnamed Democratic lawmakers have recently expressed concerns to the media about Biden’s ability to serve as president, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first House Democrat to publicly call on Biden, a sitting Democrat, to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Doggett, a Texas Democrat, said Tuesday he hoped the debate would bring “some momentum” but that didn’t happen. While pointing out Biden’s accomplishments, Doggett argued it’s time to pass the baton within the Democratic Party.
Frisch, who is running to replace Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), decided late last year to run in Colorado’s eastern 4th Congressional District, a heavily Republican district that could help Frisch avoid another expensive and competitive House race.
She won her district’s Republican primary last week, beating a group of challengers to replace former Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who retired from Congress earlier this year.
Boebert will face Democratic candidate Trisha Calvarese in November. Trump won the district by 19 points in 2020, making Boebert the favorite to win the seat in the November election.
Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District is rated “Republican-leaning” by the nonpartisan election forecasting organization Cook Political Report.
