Two House Democrats in rural districts facing tough re-election battles expressed doubts on Tuesday about President Biden’s chances of winning in November against former President Donald J. Trump, adding to the overall sense of pessimism within the Democratic Party regarding their nominee.
Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, who are both considered vulnerable incumbents, stopped short of calling for Biden to step down. However, they hinted at concerns that a weak performance by Biden could harm their own re-election prospects.
In an opinion piece for The Bangor Daily News, Golden, whose district was won by Trump in 2020, acknowledged that he had long believed Trump would win and had come to terms with that reality.
“Many Democrats are worried about whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party’s nominee,” he wrote. “Biden’s lackluster debate performance was not surprising.”
“I wasn’t shaken by it like others have been,” Golden added. “I have been certain of the election outcome for months: Even though I won’t be voting for him, Donald Trump will win. And I’m fine with that.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with a local TV station, Gluesenkamp Perez, a first-term Democrat from a conservative rural district, also expressed skepticism about Biden’s chances, citing his poor debate performance.
“Around 50 million Americans watched that debate,” she told KATU News, looking disheartened. “I endured it for five agonizing minutes.”
When asked if the president should step down, Gluesenkamp Perez hesitated before stating: “I believe Biden will lose to Trump. It’s a tough reality, but I think the damage has been done.”
She emphasized that Democratic voters had chosen Biden in the primaries and that “a fundamental principle of democracy is accepting election results.”
“Biden is the nominee,” she concluded.
