Third Congressional District Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, said in a statement Thursday she doubts President Joe Biden’s “judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country.”
She said the “crisis of confidence” must come to an end. According to Mediate, Gluesenkamp Perez is the first Democratic lawmaker to say Biden should resign.
"I’ve spent the past two weeks listening to my constituents express their concerns about the President’s age and health. Like most people I represent in Southwest Washington, I doubt the President’s judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors," Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement provided to The Chronicle. "Americans deserve to feel their president is fit enough to do the job. The crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership needs to come to an end. The President should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first."
The comments came hours ahead of a press conference where Biden hoped to convince Democratic voters and officials of his stamina and capability to fulfill the duties of the presidency following the presidential debate in June.
Billed as a “big boy” press conference by the White House, Biden has sought to quell voter concerns over the president's age and health, though many lawmakers have been unconvinced by the efforts.
On Thursday, Hawaii Rep. Ed Case became the 14th House Democrat to call for the president to step down as the presumptive Democratic nominee, according to CNN.
Axios reported Thursday that “more than half a dozen lawmakers” had told the outlet they planned to issue statements urging Biden to withdraw from the race.
"This whole discussion isn't over — just because of the way the election is turning away from us,” an anonymous Democratic representative told the outlet.
In an op-ed published in the Washington Post Wednesday, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, became the first Democratic senator to say Biden should end his reelection campaign.
