Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who is retiring after nearly three decades in Congress, said President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, should also resign.
“This is a painful and difficult decision, but there is no doubt that we will all be better off if the president steps down as the Democratic nominee and proceeds with a transition on his own terms,” Blumenauer, 75, said in a statement Wednesday.
Democratic leaders have been agonizing in recent days over the candidacy of Mr. Biden, 81, following scathing criticism of his performance in a June debate with former President Donald J. Trump.
Publicly, at least, most Democratic elected officials have backed Biden, and Blumenauer was one of the first to break away from the party and call for the president to step down. Similar calls may increase in the coming days as Democratic donors make similar statements.
Blumenauer said Biden deserves praise and recognition for his many accomplishments, including helping the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and getting climate justice legislation passed by Congress. But he said Biden's decision on whether to continue the campaign “is not just about extending the presidency, but also about protecting our democracy.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Blumenauer was the only member of Oregon's congressional delegation to call on Biden to drop out of the race, with Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden both saying they support Biden's decision to remain in the race.
— Julia Silverman, jsilverman@oregonian.com.
