COLUMBUS – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, in a press release issued Friday night, called for president Joe Biden to abandon his re-election campaign.
Brown is the fourth Democratic U.S. Sen. to urge the president to abandon the race for the Oval Office.
Brown released the following statement in a press release to Richland Source:
“Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard from Ohioans on important issues, such as how to continue to grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resources to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban,” Brown said.
“These are the issues Ohioans care about and it is my job to keep fighting for them.
“I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me. At this critical time, our full attention must return to these important issues.
“I think the President should end his campaign.”
Brown joins fellow Democratic senators Jon Tester (Montana), Martin Heinrich (New Mexico) and Peter Welch (Vermont) in calling for Biden to drop from the race.
Like Tester, Brown faces a re-election battle of his own this year against Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.
The average of 16 polls show Brown leading by 6.3 percentage points, according to TheHill.com
More than 30 congressional Democrats now want someone other than Biden to be their party’s presidential nominee.
The push for Biden to exit comes after a debate performance with Republican nominee Donald Trump last month that raised alarms about the president’s age and health — and about his ability to lead the Democratic ticket this fall.
The push has intensified in recent days, with speculation increasing about Vice President Kamala Harris and others stepping in for Biden.
Moreno, a businessman making his first statewide political bid for office, agreed with Brown in his assessment of the president, but went a step further.
“If Joe Biden is unfit to run, he is unfit to serve,” Moreno said in his own statement. “I am formally calling on Joe Biden to resign the presidency because his continued presence in the Situation Room is a national-security threat.
“I hope Sen. Brown will join me.
“Make no mistake, Brown was fully aware of Joe Biden’s mental decline, covered it up, and used Biden as a vessel to pass the most liberal agenda in American history.”