Heinrich becomes third Senate Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who is up for reelection this cycle, on Friday became the third Senate Democrat to call on President Biden to exit the race.

While Heinrich called the president “one of the most accomplished presidents in modern history” in a statement, he also argued that “this moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person.”

“While the decision to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is in the best interests of our country for him to step aside,” he said. “By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy.”

Heinrich will take on Republican Nella Domenici in November as the Senate Democrat vies for a third term in the upper chamber. Domenici criticized Heinrich’s statement, claiming the New Mexico Democrat had only issued his statement out of political gain.

“Instead of having the courage to do this weeks or months ago, Martin Heinrich put poll numbers, Hollywood donor cash, and his political career ahead of the crises facing New Mexico families,” Domenici said, alluding to a story from The New York Times that reported on Thursday that Hollywood talent agency founder Tom Strickler said he told Heinrich he would not be donating to Heinrich’s campaign unless he called for Biden to step aside.

“It wasn’t the unaffordable prices, unsafe streets, and an unsecured border that made Heinrich ditch Biden; it was campaign cash, special interest, and his increasingly narrow re-election prospects.”

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates his seat “solid Democrat.”

On Thursday, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who’s vying for a fourth term and is in a tight reelection race, called on Biden to drop out of the race as tensions within the Democratic Party have intensified over the incumbent and his candidacy. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) was the first Senate Democrat to push the president to withdraw.

Meanwhile, several House Democrats — Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) — also released a joint statement Friday calling for the president to exit the race.

But Biden and his campaign have remained adamant that the president will be the Democratic nominee despite the rising calls from members of the party for him to step aside. 

“Joe Biden has made it more than clear: he’s in this race and he’s in it to win it. Moreover, he’s the presumptive nominee, there is no plan for an alternative nominee,” Dan Kanninen, Biden campaign battleground states director, wrote in a memo released after the Republican National Convention. 

Updated at 3:20 p.m.