WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following President Joe Biden’s poor performance in last week’s debate, Ohio Democrats are divided on how the reelection campaign should proceed.
What You Need To Know
- Some Ohio Democrats are calling for President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign after his poor debate performance last week, while others continue to support him
- Names floated to replace Biden on the ticket include Sen. Sherrod Brown
- The Biden campaign has said the president has no intention of stepping away from the race
Some Democrats are calling for Biden to step aside from the presidential ticket.
Tamie Wilson, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in the state’s 4th district, wrote in a social media post, “Unfortunately, the truth is, some people have lost faith in Biden after watching the debate… I firmly believe if the Democratic Party is going to switch, they need to do it now and pick someone like Sherrod Brown.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, previously considered a presidential run in 2019. He has not commented on Biden’s debate performance.
When asked for comment on the prospect of replacing Biden on the ballot, Brown’s campaign pointed to remarks he made to reporters Friday.
“I love this job. I love this job. I love fighting for Ohioans. I’m not interested in governor, or president or anything else,” Brown said in a video posted by Josh Kosich of WEWS.
Other Ohio Democrats have acknowledged Biden struggled during the debate but defended his record.
“President Biden’s debate format was not his best night, obviously, but it doesn’t change three and a half years of progress that he has made,” said Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio.
As the Biden campaign insisted over the weekend that the president had no intention of dropping out of the race, some Democrats said their best strategy was to stay united behind him.
“I will take a bad President Biden over Trump’s nonstop, incessant lying, deception, divisive, dishonest and destructive behavior any day of the week,” Brown said.
A top Biden campaign official was expected to hold a conference call with donors Monday to reassure them the president can beat former President Donald Trump in November.
New election polls expected to come out this week could gauge if the debate fallout is merely a blip—or if Biden’s debate debacle has significantly swayed voters away.