Michael Bennet of Colorado became the first Senate Democrat to join several House colleagues in breaking with Joe Biden after their disastrous first debate.
Bennet, briefly a presidential candidate in 2020, was one of three liberal senators who said Biden would lose to Trump in November at the current pace, along with Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana.
In an interview later Tuesday, he confirmed what had been reported, that he believes Trump is on track to beat Biden, 81.
“Well, it’s true that I said that and I said it behind closed doors and you and others asked me if I had said it, and that’s what I said. That’s why I thought I should come here and say it publicly,” he said.
Bennet, while not explicitly calling for Biden to step down, said he believes Democrats could lose more than their control of the presidency in this election.
Michael Bennet of Colorado became the first Senate Democrat to join several House colleagues in breaking with Joe Biden after their disastrous first debate.
“I think Donald Trump is on track to win this election, and perhaps win it by a landslide and carry the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Bennet said.
“I think we could lose everything,” he told CNN.
Unlike Tester and Brown, Bennet is not in a swing state and is not even up for re-election this year.
He sees it as a matter of Democrats — who put Donald Trump on a pedestal as a unique threat to democracy — not having the right candidate to defend him in Biden.
“This is not a political question, it’s a moral question about the future of our country. And I think it’s vitally important that we face what lies ahead if together we put this country on the path to re-electing Donald Trump.”
He said Senate Democrats will continue to discuss the issue this week, but that people have been pressing him about Biden’s health.
‘It’s my constituents who have said to me, ‘I’ve been through this with my mother, I’ve been through this with my father. I’m terrified of what it will mean if Donald Trump is elected president again in this country.’
Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz responded to Bennet’s comments in a statement.
Bennet, while not explicitly calling for Biden to step down, said he believes Democrats could lose more than their control of the presidency in this election.
Bennet said Senate Democrats will continue to discuss the issue this week, but that people have been pressing him about Biden’s health.
“No one is more committed to defeating Donald Trump and defending our democracy than Joe Biden, and few know better than Joe Biden the importance of showing up and campaigning to earn the support of voters. This was always going to be a close race,” Munoz said.
Bennet is the first member of the Senate to publicly suggest Trump will win the election, while House Democrats have been much clearer.
Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democrat, on Tuesday became the 10th member of Congress to call on Biden to withdraw.
She said she would support Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s replacement on the ticket, according to the Washington Post.
Senate Democrats have largely stood firm in backing the president as he vows to stay in the 2024 race.
“As I’ve said before, I’m for Joe,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told waiting reporters when he returned from recess this week. He reiterated that stance after a lunch with fellow Democratic senators on Tuesday.
While some members of his caucus have raised questions or concerns about the president’s performance in the debate, so far no member of the slim Democratic majority in the Senate has openly called for President Biden to resign.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said Biden needs to “prove to the American people” that he “is up to the job for another four years.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called for talks on the strongest path forward. He says Trump is a threat to democracy.
What some Democratic senators have done, however, is put pressure on the president to show that he is prepared to run a vigorous campaign and a second term.
Bennet told DailyMail.com on Tuesday that it is “really important for us as Democrats to have an open discussion” so they have a path to winning the White House and both chambers of Congress, but stopped short of calling on the president to step aside.
As Senate Democrats face big questions, Republicans see Biden as a way to go after vulnerable senators up for re-election this year.
Several incumbent Democrats are running in states Trump won in 2020 and face tough challenges from Republican opponents. The 2024 map looks more favorable to Republicans who hold the Senate majority.
In recent weeks, Republican candidates and party operatives have seized on the president’s debate performance to raise questions about Biden’s fitness and attack Democratic senators by suggesting they are covering up for the president and the White House.