CLEVELAND — One of President Joe Biden's biggest allies in the U.S. Senate, Ohio's own Sen. Sherrod Brown, is now calling on the 81-year-old incumbent to end his bid for reelection.
In a statement shared Friday on his social media platforms, Brown wrote that "I think the President should end his campaign" amid concerns about several important issues. You can read the entire statement below:
"Over the last few weeks, I've heard from Ohioans on important issues, such as how to continue to grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resources to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban. These are the issues Ohioans care about and it is my job to keep fighting for them.
"I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me. At this critical time, our full attention must return to these important issues. I think the President should end his campaign."
Brown joins three other Democratic senators and more than 30 House Democrats in calling for the incumbent president to drop out amid concerns about his age and a poor debate performance last month against Republican former President Donald Trump. Hours before Brown's announcement, Cincinnati U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman also declared it was time for Biden to "step aside," becoming the first member of Ohio's Democratic congressional delegation to do so.
"We cannot allow Donald Trump and the rise of fascism and authoritarianism to take root in America," Landsman wrote. "To allow Trump to become president and control all three branches of government puts our democracy and freedoms at great risk."
Landsman, who represents Ohio's 1st Congressional District, is believed to be in a somewhat vulnerable position heading into November. The same is true for Brown, who has been elected to the Senate three times even with the state's increasingly rightward shift, but is expected to face a tough reelection battle against GOP nominee and Cleveland area businessman Bernie Moreno. The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as a toss-up.
Yet unlike Landsman, a freshman in Congress, Brown has been close with Biden for years, with the pair even briefly serving together in the Senate prior to Biden's election as vice president in 2008. Earlier this week, however, Brown sidestepped questions about whether Biden should continue as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.
"Ohioans have legitimate concerns about what President Biden does in this campaign," Brown told 3News during an event in Cleveland on Tuesday. "My job is to talk about what we're doing for workers here."
Biden and his team have consistently maintained he will remain in the race, with the campaign saying he intends to be back on the trail next week after recovering from a bout with COVID-19. Supporters of the 81-year-old president have also claimed there has been a double standard in the way he has been portrayed, pointing out that 78-year-old Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts in New York City, been found liable in a civil suit for sexually abusing a woman more than three decades ago, and still refuses to admit he lost the 2020 election.
While Brown did not address Trump in his statement, Landsman did, making clear his "respect" for Biden while proclaiming, "Donald Trump should not be running for president."
"Most Americans are ready to move on from the politics of grievance, and they have deep and legitimate concerns that Mr. Trump will upend our democracy," Landsman stated. "While Trump's ego would never allow him to step aside and do what's right for the country, I have faith that President Biden will put our country first."
In a later interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Landsman threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden's potential replacement. Brown, who also served in the Senate with Harris, has not endorsed any alternative candidate.