Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig: President Joe Biden should halt re-election bid

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., is the latest member of Congress calling on President Joe Biden to halt his bid for re-election.

“Given what I saw and heard from the president during last week’s debate in Atlanta,” Craig said in a statement Saturday, “coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the president himself following that debate, I do not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump.”

Craig makes at least five Democratic U.S. House members who are asking the Democratic president to drop out of the race, following his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate with Republican presidential candidate Trump.

In an interview with ABC News that was broadcast Friday night, the 81-year-old Biden fended off criticisms of his mental acuity and said he was fit for another term as president. He described his debate performance as a “bad episode.”

At times, Biden rambled during the interview with George Stephanopoulos, which ABC said was aired in full and without edits, the Associated Press reported.

Craig, who represents the Second Congressional District, including the south metro area and parts of southern Minnesota, said she has “great respect” for Biden’s decades of service and “his steadfast commitment to making our country a better place.”

But Craig, a moderate in a swing district, said “there is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency” and that Biden should step aside to “allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.”

Craig is seeking a fourth term in Congress this year. Four candidates have filed to challenge her, including two Republicans, a Democrat and a “Constitutional Conservative.”

Craig’s message Saturday countered Gov. Tim Walz’s declaration last week that Democratic governors continue to support Biden. Walz led a delegation of more than 20 governors in a meeting with Biden at the White House on Wednesday.

“The governors have his back,” Walz said after the meeting.

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who unsuccessfully ran against Biden in the Democratic primaries this year, had criticized the president for running again due to his age. He was chided by many top Minnesota Democrats for that stance.

Both Phillips and Craig spoke out in the summer of 2022 urging a “new generation” of Democrats to step up into leadership roles, comments that came after some members of the party were expressing private concerns about a second term for Biden.

Apprehension about Biden’s age and abilities went into overdrive after the president’s meandering and muddled debate performance on June 27.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who represents Austin, Texas, was the first Democratic member of Congress to call for Biden to step down as the party’s candidate. He was followed by Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois.