Seven Democratic members of the Massachusetts State Senate have released an open letter urging President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid so another candidate can be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
In addition to Sen. Jason Lewis, who called on Biden to end his campaign after the president struggled in his first debate with former President Donald Trump last month, the letter was signed by Sens. Jo Comerford, Jamie Eldridge, Paul Feeney, Pat Jehlen, John Keenan and Michael Moore.
Eldridge is a member of the Massachusetts delegation headed to the DNC.
The letter praised Biden for a “lifetime of distinguished public service,” but warned that his status as the Democrats’ presumptive nominee has become a dangerous liability.
“President Biden has consistently lagged behind Donald Trump in national and battleground states for months, and now reliable polls are even showing competitive races in blue states like Virginia and Minnesota,” the group wrote. “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 group’s call comes at a moment when pressure is intensifying on Biden to leave the race. Also Thursday, Jon Tester of Montana and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico became the second and third Democratic U.S. senators, after Peter Welch of Vermont, to urge Biden to end his candidacy. On Wednesday, California Congressman Adam Schiff became the most prominent member of the U.S House to issue such a call. And according to multiple reports, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi have all expressed deep concern to Biden about his prospects in recent days.
Earlier this month, Gov. Maura Healey became the first Democratic governor to suggest that Biden consider exiting the race. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton has urged Biden to drop his bid, and Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Lori Trahan have suggested that the president reevaluate his commitment to seeking reelection.
While the new letter from the seven state senators called for a different candidate to be nominated at the DNC next month, it did not explicitly state how that candidate should be selected. It did, however, suggest that switching standard bearers would give Democrats an immediate boost, and that a new Democratic candidate would have ample time to make his or her case to the electorate.
“Selecting a new Democratic presidential nominee will inject badly needed excitement and grassroots energy into the party and its voters, especially young people,” the letter said. “There will be plenty of time after the convention for the new nominee to run a winning campaign and defeat Donald Trump.”
Keenan, who also released his own statement earlier Thursday saying Biden should drop out, told GBH News there should be a competitive process to determine the party’s nominee.
“I don’t think anybody should be selected unilaterally,” Keenan said.
The contours of such a process would need to be quickly hammered out if Biden does end his campaign, Keenan added.
“It’s going to have to be creative, as inclusive as possible, and ... representative not only of the Democratic Party apparatus, but Democrats as a whole and even beyond Democrats — the voters who are are maybe undecided or those that are unenrolled who may always vote Democrat,” he said.
A new poll from Suffolk University and the Boston Globe found that nearly two-thirds of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents in Massachusetts would prefer someone other than Biden as the party’s nominee.
