A Democratic senator has admitted to DailyMail.com that Democrats are “nervous” that President Biden will negatively impact lower-ranking races if he remains at the top of the ticket, as his party grapples with questions about his health and ability to beat Donald Trump.
Following President Joe Biden’s terrible performance in the debate nearly two weeks ago, speculation about his replacement as the Democratic presidential nominee began — and it hasn’t abated.
Some Democratic lawmakers have been divided, saying they don’t believe Biden is the best the party has to beat former President Donald Trump.
So far, at least nine House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race, but there have been no defectors in the Senate — at least not yet.
In an exclusive video on Tuesday obtained by DailyMail.com, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown openly admitted to donors that there is “nervousness” among his colleagues about the upcoming election.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, said there is “nervousness” in the party about the “national nomination.”
Ohio’s Brown was looking at how Democrats will fare in local elections in November with Biden in the lead.
He said that even though many Democratic candidates are “ahead of the national field,” according to a recording of a Zoom fundraising meeting, it is concerning to have Biden as the front-runner.
The Zoom meeting, organized by San Francisco-based consultant Jon Foster, sought to raise money for several Democratic Senate campaigns.
The invitation indicated that the money would go toward the careers of Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Colin Allred of Texas, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in Florida, Elissa Slotkin in Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona.
“I’ve watched these five races, one had a particularly tough primary, but all five candidates have shown great skill and know how to win their races,” Brown said on the Zoom call.
‘I like people who when they run for Senate know how to win and when we’ve had really good years like this one is going to be, I see that.’
He then mentioned the ongoing talks in Washington, DC, that cast doubt on Biden’s ability to win and that have continued throughout the week.
“I know there’s some nervousness right now,” Brown said.
“But I look at all these candidates running on the national ticket, all of them, like the five candidates in office. I know that when we won in 2020 and took the Senate after Ossoff and Warnock, the first Jewish and Black senators from Georgia to win, we were prepared and we accomplished great things.”
President Joe Biden during the NATO Summit welcoming ceremony in Washington, DC on Wednesday
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. (second from right) keeps a straight face as he ignores reporters’ questions after the crucial meeting.
The rare stumble over the party’s current standing with its presumptive nominee highlights Washington Democrats’ ongoing struggle to figure out whether the president will lead the party to victory in November or implode its chances of defeating Trump and maintaining control of Congress.
“I’ve talked to people all over Ohio. They have legitimate concerns about whether the president should continue to serve,” Brown said Wednesday.
He has dodged questions about whether Biden should step down as party leader.
On Tuesday, after a Democratic meeting in the Senate, several lawmakers were reported to be doubtful about Biden’s chances against Trump.
Brown and Sens. Michael Bennett of Colorado and Jon Tester of Montana all privately said in a meeting with their colleagues that they do not believe the president can beat the former president.
But how Democratic lawmakers will address Biden’s dilemma remains to be seen.
