Tim Ryan: Biden age concerns could 'drag everybody else down' on Democratic ticket
Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) predicted that voters’ concerns about President Biden’s age could spell disaster for swing-district Democrats across the country in November.
Ryan, who was one of the first prominent Democrats to urge Biden to leave the presidential race last week, said in a “Fox News Sunday” interview with Shannon Bream that he expects more lawmakers to join his call.
“I think you're going to see a significant amount of pressure whether it's today or tomorrow, sometime this week, as the members come back that this may be untenable for them to all want to run under a Biden ticket,” Ryan said. “Because it's going to drag everybody else down, and I think that's a major, major concern for Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries [D-N.Y.], who's a phenomenal leader.”
“I think his members, donors, activists around the country are very, very concerned,” he added.
Five Democrats in the House have called on Biden to leave the race, and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is reported to be organizing Senators to do the same. Jeffries is reportedly scheduled to meet with House Democrats on Sunday afternoon to discuss Biden’s candidacy.
Ryan made clear that he is a fan of Biden, but said that the faltering debate performance has created concerns among voters that could prevent him from being reelected.
“If this is a sporting event, and you throw three interceptions, the coach pulls the quarterback,” Ryan said. “If you're a pitcher that's not getting the job done and they're hitting home run dingers left and right, the manager goes in and pulls the pitcher out.”
“That's kind of where we are right now in my estimation,” Ryan continued.
The former congressman has backed Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s best replacement.
“Those who say that a Harris candidacy is a greater risk than the Joe Biden we saw the other night and will continue to see are not living in reality,” Ryan wrote in a Newsweek editorial last week. “It is not just utterly preposterous for the haters to say that, it is insulting.”