WASHINGTON – Moderate New York Democrat Pat Ryan joined some other colleagues on Wednesday in calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
“Trump is an existential threat to American democracy; it is our duty to nominate the strongest candidate against him. Joe Biden is a patriot, but he is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump. For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside — to fulfill his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders,” Ryan wrote. Type in X.
He was the first to share his position He gave a telephone interview to The New York Times.
42-year-old Ryan, who joined the Congress September 2022Represents New York’s 18th Congressional District, which covers Orange, Dutchess and Ulster counties and includes the city of Poughkeepsie.
He was a strong supporter of the president and campaigned with him several times. He will run for office in the August 2022 special election over Roe v. He won in part by campaigning hard against the results of the fight against Wade. Cook Political Report degrees his re-election race this November was somewhat competitive, leaning Democratic.
His Republican challenger, Alison Esposito, criticized Ryan on Tuesday for not being honest with voters about Biden’s cognitive abilities.
“It’s long past time to get behind Pat Ryan and be honest with the voters of the Hudson Valley about what’s really going on,” he said. A post on Facebook. “Biden is unfit to be president, and instead of getting the truth, Ryan continues to rubber stamp Biden’s failed policies and act like nothing is wrong.”
Ryan is at least one 10 House Democratetc who have either privately or publicly called for Biden to step aside.
Although many of Biden’s most prominent allies, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have defended him. others have expressed their concerns about the ability to win in November.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also On Wednesday morning, Biden stopped short of giving his full endorsement He stayed in the race saying “time is running out” for the president to decide on his political future.
Biden and his aides this week sought to quell the concerns of Democrats in Congress after his disappointing performance in last month’s debate against Trump. The president sent a letter to Democratic lawmakers last week saying he wouldn’t have run if he didn’t think he was the best person to defeat former President Donald Trump.
“I would not be running again if I did not absolutely believe that I was the best person to defeat Donald Trump in 2024,” Biden wrote. “We had a Democratic nominating process and the voters spoke clearly and decisively.”
House Democrats huddled behind closed doors Tuesday morning, and many walked out of a caucus meeting silently after being told by leadership not to speak to the media. Although House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reiterated his support for Biden as the nominee, he left the meeting saying it was “a very constructive conversation among the House Democratic Caucus family.”
Asked if Democrats had reached a consensus on Biden, Jeffries said, “Conversations are ongoing.”