Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) offered a new warning to fellow Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday, telling them to consider how President Joe Biden’s presence on the ballot will affect races further down the ballot — especially as Democrats look to win control of the House next year.
“There must be a serious reckoning with the down-ballot effect of whomever we nominate. What matters is not how we feel but what the numbers tell us,” Torres said in a statement. “An unsentimental analysis of the cold hard numbers — which have no personal feelings or political loyalties — should inform what we decide and whom we nominate. If we’re going to choose a particular path, we should be clear-eyed about its consequences. Blindness is not bliss amid the terrifying threat of a Trump presidency.”
There are currently eight House Democrats who have officially called on Biden to step aside, with a handful of others, including Torres, who have expressed concerns about his candidacy while stopping short of telling him to withdraw.
