One of the most at-risk Senate Democrats refused to abandon President Joe Biden on Monday as many congressional Democrats continue to drop out of support for Biden.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who is facing an uphill battle to win a fourth Senate term, is expected to endorse Biden’s reelection campaign.
“I’m not a pundit,” Brown said Monday, according to NBC News. “I’ve spoken to people across Ohio, they have legitimate questions about whether the president should continue to campaign, and I’m going to continue to listen to people.”
Speaking in Youngstown today, Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown responded to a question about Biden in accordance with his campaign:
“I’m not a pundit. I’ve spoken to people across Ohio. They have legitimate questions about whether the president should continue to campaign and I will continue to listen to people.”
— Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) July 8, 2024
Brown’s comments were not a strong endorsement of Biden, but the Ohio native clearly has no intention of calling on Biden to withdraw. Brown’s lukewarm support for Biden shows the Democrats have a narrow path to victory in a state that has grown increasingly Republican, a situation made even more dire after Biden’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate.
His comments were similar to those made Monday by another at-risk Senate Democrat from a heavily Republican state, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who has continued to back Biden despite his loudmouth.
Brown will face Republican Bernie Moreno, a deep-pocketed businessman who received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in the 2024 primary.
On the same day, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) canceled a meeting with Senate Democrats scheduled for Monday to discuss the growing Biden issue. The discussion of Biden’s viability and the damage to the race of lesser candidates is scheduled to take place at the Democratic senators’ regular Tuesday luncheon.
Warner has been the most publicly critical Democratic senator so far, but has not yet called on Biden to drop out of the campaign.
While Democratic senators have publicly supported Biden so far, the president has faced urging from several House members, including the committee’s powerful chairs, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), to withdraw from the campaign.
The House and Senate were not in session for the first week after Biden’s debate debacle, but as lawmakers return to the Capitol and face a drama-hungry congressional press corps amid a continuing backlash against Biden from donors, voters and the media, Democrats who have remained silent thus far will likely be forced to make their positions clear.
Bradley Jay is Capitol Hill correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter. translator.
