Pat Ryan is first House Democrat from New York to call for Biden to step aside

Rep. Pat Ryan on Wednesday because the first prominent New York Democrat to make a public plea for President Joe Biden to step aside as their party's standard-bearer after his shaky debate performance nearly two weeks earlier.

Ryan, who's running for a second full-term in a competitive Hudson Valley district, made his break with Biden in interviews first with the New York Times and then with the USA Today Network. He said he had moved to that position after speaking with concerned constituents in his district since the June 27 debate and deciding Democrats need a stronger contender to defeat Donald Trump in November.

He called Trump an "existential threat to our Constitution," and said he felt it was his "patriotic duty" ‒ and consistent with the oaths he took in Congress and when he graduated from West Point ‒ to speak out while his party can still choose another candidate. Failing to do so would be a "disservice" to his constituents, he said.

More: Rep. Pat Ryan: Biden, it’s time to step aside. For the good of our country.

"Trump is not fit to serve, clearly, and I've been very unequivocal about that from the moment I sought any public office," Ryan told the USA Today Network. "And it's my job to also be honest about my own party. So I want to be clear that I think President Biden is a patriot, I think he's a person of integrity. He's dedicated his whole life to serving this country and we owe him a debt of gratitude."

Within hours of his announcement, another Democratic leader from New York followed suit, breaking from top Democrats in the state, including Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado posted a statement on X that urged Biden to step aside so another leader can motivate voters and beat Trump, whom he called a "threat to democracy."

"I believe we should move forward with a nominee capable of re-invigorating and re-energizing Americans who are determined to protect our democracy, and who want to do so with a candidate they believe can win," Delgado said.

New York Democrats have been slow to weigh in during their party's post-debate hand-wringing about the 81-year-old president's ability to beat Trump and serve another four years. Two House members, Reps. Joe Morelle of Monroe County and Jerry Nadler of Manhattan, reportedly told colleagues Biden should quit the race in a private meeting last Sunday, but soon softened those remarks or voiced support for Biden.

"I wouldn’t write Joe Biden off because of one bad performance,” Morelle told Rochester radio station WXXI the following day. “By the same token, I think he has to make a decision, his family and his inner circle, about whether they think he feels he can still fulfill his obligations."

One concern among New York Democrats is that a weak performance by Biden in November will hurt down-ballot candidates like Ryan who are running in competitive races, including those trying to win back House seats Republicans flipped in 2022 so their party can regain control of the chamber. A Democratic-led House would be a crucial bulwark for their party if Republicans win both the White House and a majority in the narrowly split Senate.

Even before the debate, Democrats had reason to worry about Biden's relatively weak standing in New York and its potential impact on other races. He led Trump by eight points in a one-to-one matchup in a Siena College poll in June, two points less than his lead in an April poll and a smaller margin than he should have in a heavily Democratic state. By comparison, Biden beat Trump in New York by 23 points in 2020.

"I think that's got to be concerning to Democrats who are running in swing districts," Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said of Biden's eight-point lead.

Ryan, an Iraq war veteran and former Ulster County executive, won a special election for a vacant House seat in 2022 and then a second vote months later to represent New York's 18th District, which takes in all of Orange County and parts of Ulster and Dutchess counties. He's being challenged in November by Alison Esposito, a retired police commander who ran for lieutenant governor in 2022.

In his interview Wednesday, he argued Biden could cement the legacy of his accomplishments by "stepping aside and passing the torch, for the good of our country and the good of our democracy." He said Democrats have a "wealth of great leaders that can step forward," and drew a contrast with Republicans for their "lock step" support for a "convicted felon" who tried to overturn the 2020 election and has "very damaging and divisive policies."

Republicans returned fire after Ryan's announcement on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to say if Biden was fit to serve another term and pulling a "stunt" to win re-election.

“Everyone can see Ryan's statement for what it truly is, a transparent election-year ploy to try to cling to his seat," said Savannah Viar, a spokeswoman for the House Republicans' campaign arm.

Hochul: Biden will "continue to run" — and win

Biden, who has vowed to stay in the race and moved to shore up his support, has so far kept the public backing of most of New York's top Democrats, including Hochul, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, the House minority leader.

Hochul, during a stop in Rockland County on Wednesday, reaffirmed her support for Biden and said she and state Democratic leaders are working "to ensure we have the resources, the personnel, the grassroots campaign to help all of our congressional candidates, especially those that have battleground areas."

"This has been my laser focus from the very beginning, regardless of who's president," she told a small media gathering after celebrating the completion of new apartments for veterans in Orangeburg. "And I believe that President Biden will continue to run, that he will be successful. But having run for Congress myself, I respect Congressman Ryan, I'll continue to work with him, and we are going to continue to make sure that he's re-elected to Congress."

Jones: What about the "convicted felon and insurrectionist"?

Other New York Democrats have voiced only tepid support for Biden or avoided the question, while hammering back at Republicans for what a second Trump term might mean — and for Trump blemishes they say are far worse than a weak debate.

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a Democrat who's taking on GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a Hudson Valley swing district next to Ryan's, put out a statement on Tuesday that gave Biden only the faintest support and left open the possibility that another Democrat may replace him. Then he pivoted to his own race, blasting Lawler for backing Trump and warning that that he'd be a "reliable vote for Trump's dangerous legislative agenda."

“If President Biden is the nominee, I’ll be voting for him," Jones said. "Meanwhile, Mike Lawler is supporting a convicted felon and insurrectionist who wants to punish women for having an abortion."

Earlier in the day before he issued that statement, Lawler's campaign had swatted Jones for rebuffing media questions about Biden's continued re-election bid. Campaign spokesman Chris Russell said Jones backed Biden's priorities in Congress and called him the "best president in modern American history," but now wouldn't say if Biden should stay in race and was fit for the job.

“By this point, it should surprise absolutely no one that Mondaire Jones is willing to stab President Biden in the back to try and save his own skin,” Russell said.

Opposing views from county leaders

Zak Constantine, Orange County's Democratic chairman, echoed Ryan's view in an interview Wednesday. He praised Biden for his work in the White House and noted that he's pledged to vote for Biden's nomination as a convention delegate in August. But he said the party must consider who can best "prosecute the case" against Trump — while making a strong case for their own candidacy.

"We can't scare and guilt voters into voting for Democrats," he said.

Constantine also raised concerns that voters' uncertainty about Biden could hurt turnout for other Democrats.

"People have to be inspired to vote, and low turnout could be the undoing of Democrats in this election," he said.

Suzanne Berger, the Westchester County Democratic chairwoman, argued Democrats should stick with their ticket and stop anguishing over replacing Biden, which she said is only harming their party's chances. She rejected as unrealistic that idea of finding a new candidate at this stage and overriding the will of Democratic voters who chose Biden in nominating contests this year.

"I think continuing this conversation is not helpful," she said, arguing Democrats instead should "focus on who the better team is" and emphasize Vice President Kamala Harris' strengths as part of the Democratic ticket.

Berger also pointed to a potential silver lining for her party's House candidates: worries about Trump unseating Biden underscores the importance for Democrats of winning a House majority. And if pitched to voters in the right way, she said, that message could work to the party's advantage in November.

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Biden should step aside for another Democrat, NY Rep. Pat Ryan says