Members of the far-left "Squad" are buoying President Joe Biden as the octogenarian leader faces calls to step aside from other congressional Democrats.
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Members of the far-left "Squad" are buoying President Joe Biden as the octogenarian leader faces calls to step aside from other congressional Democrats.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) said Biden "is in this race and I support him." Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) followed suit, saying, "Outside of a few outliers, I think everybody's supporting the president." Rep. Cori Bush (D., Mo.) stopped short of backing Biden outright but dismissed concerns over his mental and physical ability, saying the president is the victim of "right-wing influences."
While the "Squad" sparred with Biden toward the beginning of his presidency, Ocasio-Cortez and other left-wing members have since emerged as key Biden allies. Biden has also cozied up to Ocasio-Cortez—his campaign shared Ocasio-Cortez's remarks in a Monday night tweet, and the New York City lawmaker said she spoke with Biden "extensively" over the weekend.
"I have spoken to the president over the weekend. I have spoken with him extensively. He made clear then and he has made clear since that he is in this race. The matter is closed," Ocasio-Cortez said. "He had reiterated that this morning, he has reiterated that to the public. Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not leaving this race. He is in this race and I support him."
Omar, meanwhile, advised Biden to "stop paying attention" and "keep doing the work."
Other House Democrats have offered a much different assessment than their left-wing colleagues.
Six have publicly called for Biden to exit the race, with others echoing that call privately. During a leaked leadership call held on Sunday, for example, Rep. Don Beyer (D., Va.) called Biden a "very very fragile" man who "also really has trouble putting two sentences together." After Punchbowl reported on those comments, a spokesman for Beyer said the congressman "supports President Biden and said so on this call and any reporting to the contrary is a misunderstanding of what he said and what he believes."
Days before the ordeal, during a McLean, Va., fundraiser, Beyer compared Biden to Jesus.
On the Senate side, Democratic officials have also taken varying positions on the president's reelection bid.
Montana senator Jon Tester, who faces a difficult reelection bid in November, said Biden must "prove" he is "up for the job."
"I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done: Stand up to President Biden when he’s wrong and protect our Montana way of life," said Tester, who has voted with Biden 91 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.
New Mexico senator Martin Heinrich, also up for reelection in November, offered tepid support for Biden on Monday.
"I love Joe Biden. He's the most accomplished President of my lifetime and he's a genuinely wonderful human being," Heinrich wrote in a statement. "However, what I care most about is the preservation of our democracy. President Biden needs to continue to demonstrate that his debate performance was just a bad night, and that he has a clear path to defeating Donald Trump. Our democracy hangs in the balance."
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