Other Democrats took a similarly neutral position on Biden, a beloved figure in the Democratic Party who also served in the Senate for 35 years. They view his behavior as questionable but not something that rises to the level of sexual harassment.

“I think he’s got to just really be thoughtful about the change in culture,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. “This is clearly not a sexual harassment allegation but it is a question of just making sure people understand the boundaries of how you interact with people.”

Two women have accused Biden of inappropriately touching and leaning into them and kissing them on the head.

On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the accusations don’t disqualify him as a candidate for president, but on Tuesday in a Politico interview she suggested he hasn’t responded appropriately.

“To say ‘I’m sorry that you were offended’ is not an apology. ‘I’m sorry I invaded your space,’ but not ‘I’m sorry you were offended’ because what is that? That’s not accepting the fact that people think differently about communication,” Pelosi told Politico during a live event.

Biden, in a statement Sunday, said he never meant to offend the women.

“In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once – never – did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.”

Biden has not officially declared he is running for president but is largely expected to jump into the race. He leads the Democratic field in most polls.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said he’s known Biden for 40 years and has never witnessed him acting inappropriately, nor does he view the charges made by both women as something that rises to the level of sexual assault.

“Some of these incidents are certainly overly exuberant and not always apparently welcomed and that’s a cautionary word for him and others that you need to respect peoples spaces, no matter what your intend was,” Connolly said. “I don’t see it as disqualifying based on what we know. Hopefully he can move on from this. “

Several Senate Democrats on Monday defended Biden, including his former home state Senate colleague Tom Carper, D-Del. “Delaware is a very friendly state. It’s a state where its leaders hug people young and old. We kiss babies. We do it in public,” he said.

[Related: Biden ally defends him on #MeToo allegation: He’s a ‘human golden retriever’]

Female lawmakers say Biden’s political survival may hinge on what he does next to respond to the women since his initial response has garnered criticism. And more accusations could surface.

“Let’s see how this goes,” Jayapal said. “A lot of it depends on how he deals with it.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., an outspoken freshman lawmaker and progressive, said she didn’t have a comment on Biden’s situation specifically, but said it illuminated a big shift in how people respond to the behavior the women accuse him of engaging in.

Candidates need to more adeptly address gender, race, immigration status as part of a “new frontier,” in political campaigns, she said.

“It’s reflective of how much power has shifted, especially when it comes to these issues, particularly in the last two years,” Ocasio-Cortez said of the Biden storm. “It’s a changing political landscape, in terms of campaigning.”