President Biden continues to face pressures from the electorate to drop out of the 2024 general election race over concerns for his mental fitness. On Thursday night, in a speech at the NATO summit in Washington, the President said he is "not going anywhere." But as he stubbornly decides to remain in his position, some Latino elected officials are urging him to rethink his decision.
The concerns originated during Biden's disappointing performance during the first presidential debate against former president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, where he stumbled over his words and several times even struggled to finish a sentence.
Since then, the Democratic party has spiraled into a state of panic, with one side arguing that Biden has won the nomination democratically and he has gained positive rapport over the last four years, and therefore he should stay, while others present worries that his public image and seemingly weak stamina will not be enough to win the White House again in November.
Following the debate, the number of Democrats asking the President to step down has increased slowly but surely. So far, 16 Democratic members of the House of Representatives have publicly asked Biden to step down, with an additional seven expressing serious concerns, and 49 asking him to stay in the race. Over in the Senate, only one Senator has publicly asked for his step down, five have expressed concerns, and 12 asked him to stay in the race.
From these figures, two Latinos have shown opposition to a possible Biden ticket.
One of them is Mexican Representative Raul Grijalva, from Arizona's 7th District, and the second House Democrat to call for Biden's dropout. In a recent interview with The New York Times, he said that while he will support the President if he eventually becomes the official nominee, he also believes that the campaign is in a "precarious" state and Biden had to now rethink his position in the White House.
"If he's the candidate, I'm going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere," Grijalva said in the interview. "What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat— and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race."
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Representative from Washington's 3rd district, is another Latina who has expressed concerns over Biden's future, saying in a statement that she doesn't trust the incumbent on his claims over his fitness to hold the position.
"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," the Rep. said.
"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."
Similarly, the concerns over Biden's ability to run are present well beyond Congress. For instance, New York. Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado also asked the President to step out of the race, even though the state's Governor Kathy Hochul showed support for Biden.
Delgado expressed in a statement his "immense" gratitude to the President for the last four years, for defeating Trump in 2020, and for leading the country's recovery from the pandemic. But this shouldn't be an indicator of his ability to continue running, according to the Lt. Governor.
"I have immense respect and admiration for his deep and abiding commitment to the American people and our founding democratic ideals. He can add to his legacy, showing strength and grace, by ending his campaign and making room for a new leader," Delgado wrote in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
These Latinos stand in sharp contrast with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which this week issued a statement standing behind the Biden administration, who they claim has believed in their cause to advance Latinos' rights across the country.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
