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Montana's Sen. Jon Tester has just become the second Democratic senator who has called on President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign.
In a Thursday evening statement on X, Tester said that when he worked with Biden, he had "never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong."
"And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term," Tester said.
— Senator Jon Tester (@SenatorTester) July 19, 2024
Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont was the first Democratic senator to call for Biden to drop out of the race against former President Donald Trump. Welch wrote an opinion column in The Washington Post on July 10, saying: "We cannot unsee President Biden's disastrous debate performance."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who told Biden in private on Saturday to withdraw from the race, was told about Tester's statement before it went public, according to Axios. The media outlet reported that Schumer told Tester to do what he thought was best.
At least 20 House Democrats have publicly asked Biden to step aside.
Tester's statement comes as some top Democrats privately believe that they are close to convincing Biden to quit the race as he remains isolated after testing positive for COVID-19.
Multiple reports have said that Biden, who has publicly maintained that he is the best man to run for the top ticket, has privately been more receptive to the idea of dropping out.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi told House Democrats that Biden may be close to ending his campaign soon, three anonymous Democratic sources told The Washington Post on Thursday.
And The New York Times, citing several people close to the president, said in a Thursday report that Biden has started accepting the idea that he might not win the election.
Representatives for Tester did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
