Sen. Heinrich calls on Biden to drop out

Sen. Martin Heinrich said the choice to withdraw is “President Biden’s alone,” but he believes it’s in the country’s best interests for him to step aside. (Photo by Megan Gleason / Source NM)

Update on July 18 at 1:51 p.m.:

New Mexico’s senior senator is calling on President Joe Biden to “pass the torch” to give Democrats a better chance of defeating former President Donald Trump in November. 

Heinrich is the third Democratic United States senator to publicly call on Biden to step down, following Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Peter Welch of Vermont. A handful of House Democrats are also beseeching Biden to get out of the race, including four more on Friday. 

Heinrich, in his statement Friday morning his office provided to Source New Mexico, praised Biden for his successes leading the country and long career in public service. 

“However, this moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person. The return of Donald Trump to the White House poses an existential danger to our democracy. We must defeat him in November, and we need a candidate who can do that.”

Heinrich said the choice to withdraw is “President Biden’s alone,” but he believes it’s in the country’s best interests for him to step aside. 

“By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy,” Heinrich said.

Biden, so far, has adamantly refused calls for him to step aside. This morning, his campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, went on the Morning Joe talk show to echo that stance. 

“Absolutely the president is in this race. You have heard him say that time and time again. And I think we saw on display last night exactly why,” she said, referring to Trump’s address at the Republican National Convention.

However, the New York Times reported this week he may be softening on that view, citing several unnamed sources close to him. 

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