DENVER — Democratic congressional candidate Adam Frisch on Tuesday called on President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race, saying the country needs “a new generation of leadership” after the president’s poor performance during last week’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
Frisch, who is up against Republican Jeff Hurd for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District seat this November, said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, that the debate last week reinforced his belief that neither candidate is fit for president.
“We need a president that can unite America to realize our nation's unlimited potential. We deserve better. President Biden should withdraw from this race,” Frisch said, adding that while he thanks the president for his years of service, “the path ahead requires a new generation of leadership to take our country forward.”
For some time, I’ve been worried about the state of the presidential race. Neither candidate is fit for office, but only Joe Biden has the power and decency to move us forward by stepping aside and passing the baton to the next generation of leadership. pic.twitter.com/G2CijTSVnF
— Adam Frisch for CD-3 (@AdamForColorado) July 2, 2024
Frisch became the second high-profile Democrat on Tuesday to publicly call on Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee for president. The Colorado candidate made the announcement less than an hour after Rep. Lloyd Doggett, of Texas, said that Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw," citing Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments.”
The Colorado Democratic Party, however, believes Biden is the party's best candidate.
"The president admitted that he had a rough night, and that's fine. But the fact remains that President Biden proved he is the only candidate in this race with a proven track record of delivering for Colorado and improving the lives of Coloradans," said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib.
Murib expects Biden to have continued success among Colorado Democrats.
"President Biden won every single Colorado delegate with 83% of the vote. And so, Colorado is a strong state for President Biden," he said.
While Murib continues to support Biden, he said Democrats who are concerned about Biden's performance at the recent debate are still patriotic in his eyes.
"We are a party that has a conversation about the future of our country with our voters, and we make a decision, and we fight like hell for it," said Murib.
Biden’s weak performance caused immediate panic among even his most ardent supporters, leading many to question whether the 81-year-old career politician is the strongest Democratic candidate to take on Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, in November. Biden himself conceded the debate didn't go well for him, but he insisted he was ready to fight for a second term as president.
The Associated Press and Denver7's Jessica Crawford contributed to this report.
