During a stop in Rochester, Sen. Tina Smith was asked whether Biden should drop out of presidential race

Jul. 19—ROCHESTER — With a debate raging within the Democratic Party about whether President Joe Biden should step aside as the party's presidential candidate, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minnesota, declined to add her voice to the growing chorus of lawmakers calling on Biden to end his campaign, saying it was Biden's decision to make whether he should run.

During a tour of the Rochester International Airport Friday, Smith said the goal of the Democratic Party was to defeat former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance "so we're in the midst of a robust conversation about how to accomplish that."

"At the end of the day, it will be President Biden's decision on what he does, and I know that the decision that he makes will be in the best interests of this country," Smith said.

More than two dozen lawmakers have publicly called on Biden to step down from the 2024 presidential race since Biden's abysmal debate performance two weeks ago.

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum became only the second Minnesota lawmaker to urge Biden to release delegates pledged to him. Rep. Angie Craig was the first to call on the 81-year-old Biden to end his campaign for a second term.

McCollum said Biden should throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. She also urged Harris to select Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate.

"Vice President Harris will need a strong Midwestern running mate and I encourage her and the Democratic delegates to consider a successful leader who has been a teacher, soldier, football coach, former member of Congress, and a proven winner — Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz," McCollum said.

Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new poll. Public faith in Biden's ability to run an effective campaign and the country has plummeted at a time when the GOP Party, having wrapped up its convention, is showing new-found unity.

Trump is up 5 points nationally in head-to-head match up with Biden and 3 points across three battleground states. States like Minnesota, often seen as Democratic strongholds, are now seen as toss-ups.

Biden has insisted that he is in the race for the long haul, despite the mounting calls to drop out.

Smith, who is up for re-election in 2026, was in Rochester to highlight upgrades to the airport made possible by federal funding supported by Smith. The first phase of the airport's $79 million runway replacement program was completed in November 2021. Extra funding under the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program allowed for completion of a second phase of improvements to the runway.