State Rep. Christina Bohannan, Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District, speaks during a debate with U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, at Iowa PBS in Johnston on Sept. 26, 2022. (Pool photo by Zachary Boyden-Holmes/Courtesy of Iowa PBS)
Two Iowa Democratic congressional candidates, Christina Bohannan and Sarah Corkery, called Thursday for President Joe Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race.
Bohannan, who is running against U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for Iowa’s 1st District in the Nov. 5 general election, said in a statement that “America deserves better than the choice for President we’re currently facing.”
Biden is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to take on former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
While he defeated Trump in 2020, many Democrats have questioned whether Biden, 81, should lead the ticket following his performance in the June 27 debate. Some Democratic governors and members of Congress have expressed concerns about the president’s mental and physical abilities.
As of Thursday, at least 14 Democratic members of Congress have openly called for Biden to exit the race and allow another candidate to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, called the debate “a disaster from which Bidszxcdrsxq1q1en cannot recover,” according to writer Julie Gammack in her “Iowa Potluck” column.
However, many conversations about Biden’s fitness to be the Democratic presidential nominee have happened out of the public eye, with reports of senior House Democrats saying on a private phone call with Democratic leaders that Biden should step down.
Bohannan said Thursday that “the easy thing to do at this moment would be to stay silent,” and that many politicians are choosing allegiance to their party over the people they represent. But she said that it was “time for a change,” speaking against Biden’s nomination.
“Over the past couple of weeks, people all across Iowa have shared with me their grave concerns about President Biden – that it seems he is not up to the task of a strong, vibrant campaign that will provide a compelling vision for our future,” Bohannan said. “I owe it to them to speak my mind. It is time for President Biden to withdraw from this campaign and pass the torch to a new generation of leadership.”
Biden has characterized his debate performance as a “bad night” in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for House Republicans, responded with a news release questioning if Bohannan believes Biden is fit to serve as president, and who she would want to be president.
“President Biden is sitting in the Oval Office because Christina Bohannan and Democrats hid the truth from voters and lied about the president’s condition,” NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. “Christina Bohannan must answer the question: Is Joe Biden fit to serve as President?”
Corkery, who is running against U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa’s 2nd District, also released a statement to reporters saying that Biden should drop out.
“I have the utmost respect for President Biden,” Corkery said. “He was the right person to lead this country over the last four years and his legacy will be remembered forever. And now is the time for him to pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris. She will continue the fight to keep our democracy alive.”
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