Seven Massachusetts Democratic State Senators Say Joe Biden Must Drop Out
By Tom Joyce | July 19, 2024, 17:10 EDT
Seven Massachusetts state senators issued a joint statement sent to NewBostonPost late Thursday night calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election.
The seven Democrats thanked the 81-year-old Biden for his lengthy career in politics but said their party must nominate someone who is both mentally capable of serving as president for another four years and able to beat former President Donald Trump in a federal election.
The Democratic state senators are Joanne Comerford (D-Northampton), James Eldridge (D-Acton), Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough), Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville), John Keenan (D-Quincy), Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), and Michael Moore (D-Millbury). That’s seven of the 36 Democrats in the 40-member Massachusetts Senate.
The legislators started by praising Biden, before moving to their criticisms of him and of the Republican Party.
“President Joe Biden has contributed a lifetime of distinguished public service to our nation,” they wrote. “In 2020, he rose to the challenge of defeating Donald Trump and restored dignity and honor to the presidency. His administration has accomplished historic legislative achievements for the American people.”
The Senators then conceded that victory for the GOP appears likely if Biden is the nominee — an outcome they want to avoid.
On that point, they wrote:
Now it is time for him to pass the torch to the next generation of Democratic leaders. We are calling for President Biden to step aside so that a different candidate can be nominated at the Democratic convention in August. Most Americans, including the majority of Democrats, now believe that President Biden is not capable of vigorously campaigning and serving as president for another four years. He is unable to effectively prosecute the case against Donald Trump, who represents a grave threat to the future of this country and the world. President Biden has consistently lagged behind Donald Trump in national and battleground state polls for months, and now reliable polls are even showing competitive races in blue states like Virginia and Minnesota. A growing number of Democratic congressional leaders are deeply concerned that if President Biden remains at the top of the ticket, MAGA Republicans will control the presidency and both houses of Congress. This would be catastrophic for Massachusetts and our entire nation.
The state senators also say having someone other than Biden as the nominee will help Democrats better resonate with younger voters.
“Selecting a new Democratic presidential nominee will inject badly needed excitement and grassroots energy into the party and its voters, especially young people,” they wrote. “There will be plenty of time after the convention for the new nominee to run a winning campaign and defeat Donald Trump.”
However, the legislators also said that, if Biden is the nominee, he has their support.
“The future is uncertain, but one thing is crystal clear: regardless of whether President Biden or a different candidate is ultimately nominated by the convention delegates, we will each do everything possible to support the Democratic ticket in this absolutely critical election,” they wrote.
Other members of the Massachusetts legislature who have called on Biden to step aside include state Representative Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge) and state Representative Carol Doherty (D-Taunton), as NewBostonPost has previously reported.
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