Originally posted at mynorthwest.com
Washington Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Smith called for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election Monday.
Smith made the announcement in a statement sent to KIRO Newsradio and reiterated his stance on an appearance Monday afternoon on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
“President Biden should end his candidacy for a second term as President and release his delegates to the Democratic National Convention to enable the party to nominate a new candidate for President,” Smith’s statement begins. “This must happen as soon as possible to give the new ticket the maximum amount of time to make its case to the American people.”
Smith made it clear in his statement he thinks the party’s candidate needs to surely and undeniably make the case about being the best person to be president and Biden isn’t up to the task anymore.
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“Any candidate for the highest office in our nation has a strong burden to bear. That candidate must be able to clearly, articulately, and strongly make his or her case to the American people,” Smith said. “It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden.
Smith went on to say that Biden’s performance in the CNN Presidential Debate late last month was “alarming to watch” and added “the American people have made it clear they no longer see him as a credible candidate …”
The congressman then bluntly stated Biden has not “seriously addressed these concerns,” calling the response “unacceptable.”
“The stakes are simply too high,” Smith’s statement reads. “Donald Trump and MAGA extremism pose an existential threat to our nation, and we need to be in the strongest possible position to win in this election.”
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Smith concluded his statement by calling Biden’s decision to stay in the race to continue his campaign would be “a mistake.”
“He should step aside now so that we can find a new candidate that will put us in the strongest possible position to beat Donald Trump in November,” Smith said.
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