The debate over President Biden’s future has put Democrats in turmoil, with some urging the party to stick with the 81-year-old incumbent while a growing number of officeholders call for him to step down.
The battle is creating divides in both the House and the Senate, though no Democratic senators so far have called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. But members of both caucuses have raised serious reservations about whether he should remain at the top of the ticket.
“I have a lot of concerns and, I’m not the only one. I’ve been hearing a lot of concerns from folks back home in Minnesota. I think right now our party is having a big robust discussion about what comes next,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said.
But Smith acknowledged an essential fact that’s not lost on many of her Senate Democratic colleagues: The decision about whether to stay in the race rests entirely with Biden, and trying to force his hand may be counterproductive.
