Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown calls for Biden to end reelection bid

The northeast Ohio senator said Biden stepping aside from the presidential race would allow the party’s “full attention” to return to important Democratic issues, such as job growth, Medicare and Social Security preservation and more.

Brown, running for Senate reelection against Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, is the latest and perhaps most notable addition to a growing list of elected Democrats who have publicly called for Biden to step aside. That movement has picked up speed following Biden’s debate performance and subsequent television interviews that seemed to showcase lapses in mental acuity from the president over recent weeks.

Shortly after Brown’s statement, the Ohio Republican Party criticized Brown, saying he has “known for a long time that Joe Biden is unfit to serve” and saying Brown should answer whether he thinks Biden should step down as president. Moreno made a similar statement, saying “if Joe Biden is unfit to run, he is unfit to serve.”

Earlier Friday, Biden issued a statement saying he “looks forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week.”

“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,” Biden said.

Credit: NYT

Credit: NYT

Landsman also calls for Biden to withdraw

Earlier Friday, U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati, became the first Ohio congressman to publicly call for Biden to step aside.

Neither Brown nor Landsman, whose Congressional District 1 covers Cincinnati and the entirety of Warren County, outwardly made an endorsement of who they believe should replace Biden on the Democratic ticket.

Various Senate Democrats and over 30 House Democrats have now made the call for Biden to drop out, according to CNBC, despite the fact that Biden swept every state’s Democratic primary and earned nearly every Democratic delegate going into August’s Democratic National Convention.

A recent Associated Press poll that found nearly two-thirds of Democrats would prefer Biden hand over the reins.

“It is time for President Biden to step aside and allow us to nominate a new leader who can reliably and consistently make the case against Donald Trump and make the case for the future of America,” Landsman wrote in a post on X.

Landsman wrote that he respects Biden for his commitment to democracy, the country, freedoms and working people, but argued that the 81-year old incumbent president is “no longer the best person” to make the case against former President Donald Trump, who Landsman described as “unfit” to be president.

“There is too much on the line, and we have to be able to make that case to the American people about the change we need and the country we all deserve,” said Landsman, who noted that his decision was informed, in part, by conversations he’s had with constituents.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Shortly after Landsman’s statement, Republican vice presidential candidate and Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, who also hails from Cincinnati, argued that, if Democrats believe Biden’s mental decline is such that he ought to drop out of the race, then those same Democrats should push for the president to resign from his office.

“How can any Dem pushing him to drop out of the presidential race, argue in good faith that he should stay on as POTUS?” Vance posted on X.

Recent reporting from the Dayton Daily News found that, as of this week, the Democratic party still intends to make Biden the official Democratic presidential nominee via a virtual roll call in early August, ahead of the party’s Chicago national convention from Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.

“I have not heard any one of my delegates say that they don’t want to vote for Joe Biden,” state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, told this news outlet on Wednesday. DeMora is set to serve as the director of the Ohio delegation in August.

“I mean, just the opposite — I’m getting messages from my delegates saying, ‘We support Joe Biden and we 100% want to vote for him,’” DeMora said.

For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It’s free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening.

Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.