7 MA state senators call on Biden to withdraw from presidential race

President Joe Biden coasted through this year's primaries with members of his party united around him. But with the nominating convention scheduled for one month from Friday in Chicago, support for Biden is fragmenting and he's hearing from more and more elected Democrats that they want him to exit this year's presidential contest.

"Selecting a new Democratic presidential nominee will inject badly needed excitement and grassroots energy into the party and its voters, especially young people," seven Massachusetts state senators wrote in a statement released at 9:55 p.m. Thursday, as Republicans united around former President Donald Trump and he accepted his third consecutive nomination for president at the GOP convention in Milwaukee.

The statement was issued by Sens. Jo Comerford of Northampton, Jamie Eldridge of Marlborough, Paul Feeney of Foxborough, Pat Jehlen of Somerville, John Keenan of Quincy, Jason Lewis of Winchester and Michael Moore of Millbury. Lewis has previously called for Biden to withdraw, citing his performance in a debate with Trump, which Gov. Maura Healey at the time called "tough to watch."

The senators cited polling results and Biden's stamina and effectiveness as among the reasons he should withdraw.

"Most Americans, including the majority of Democrats, now believe that President Biden is not capable of vigorously campaigning and serving as president for another four years," they wrote. "He is unable to effectively prosecute the case against Donald Trump, who represents a grave threat to the future of this country and the world."

They continued: "President Biden has consistently lagged behind Donald Trump in national and battleground state polls for months, and now reliable polls are even showing competitive races in blue states like Virginia and Minnesota. 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 statement did not mention Vice President Kamala Harris or otherwise recommend an alternative candidate, but the senators said that choosing someone at the Aug. 19-22 convention would give that candidate "plenty of time" to launch and execute a winning campaign before the Nov. 5 election. That approach would likely pose a challenge for state election officials charged with presenting ballots to the voters.

Moore explains why he signed on

“Time is running short,” said Moore in an interview Friday. He suggested the Democratic Party must make a decision, and make it soon, if it wishes to avoid what he believes will be a Republican landslide in November.

“Seventy percent of the public indicated they want two different candidates,” Moore said, citing polling he has seen following the announcement of the presumptive candidates earlier in the year. Americans, he said, were unhappy with both Biden and Trump.

Moore suggested a different nominee for the Democrats might entice younger Americans who may have disengaged from the electoral process to consider voting in November.

He said if there is no change at the top of the ticket, the Republicans could capture the White House and both houses of Congress: “We could lose all three.”

“Timing-wise, we are getting closer and closer to the date that if we don’t make a change, we won’t be able to make it,” Moore said.

In reviewing Biden’s first term, he said the president has done a “good job” while noting that no one is perfect. Immigration, he said, has been one of Biden’s biggest failures, along with his inability to accomplish sweeping student debt cancelation.

Moore pointed out that those failures were triggered by Republican opposition.

Eldridge explains his concerns with Biden

Eldridge has been concerned with the president's turn to the right on immigration, border policies and America's world standing, as well as cognitive issues, for the past few months, a concern that was heightened by the televised debate last month, he told the Telegram & Gazette on Friday.

Reviews of polling figures from past elections set off alarm bells for the senator.

He said many Democratic-leaning voters encounter obstacles to voting, citing some states' voter identification laws, lack of early and mail-in voting procedures, and economic challenges to voting on Election Day.

“I looked at past national elections; we need a decent lead over Trump,” Eldridge said, noting that in the current polling Trump now leads Biden.

With reports from Telegram & Gazette staff writer Kinga Borondy.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 7 MA state senators call on Biden to withdraw from presidential race