Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin seeking re-election, has been encountering a recurring question from voters during her campaign efforts. As she travels across the state to rally support for her candidacy, the question on many people’s minds is whether President Biden can secure a victory in the upcoming November election and if he should even proceed with his candidacy.
“Typically, I’ll go to an event; I’ll share my remarks,” Ms. Baldwin shared in an interview. “And then people come up one by one and – at first in a whisper – express genuine concern.”
A two-term senator known for her bipartisan approach, Ms. Baldwin comfortably won re-election in 2018. While her current race was initially not anticipated to be highly competitive, recent doubts about Mr. Biden’s age and ability to lead have introduced new challenges for Democratic candidates like Ms. Baldwin, just 100 days before Election Day. This has put even seemingly secure Democratic seats at risk in this crucial swing state.
The rising apprehensions have Democrats, already on edge about a potential loss to former President Donald J. Trump, contemplating the possibility of significant congressional defeats that could leave the party out of power for an extended period, especially during a Trump presidency.
Recently, as Democratic leaders have privately urged Mr. Biden to consider stepping down, two other senators facing re-election – Senators Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, both in closely contested races – have also suggested that Mr. Biden may need to step aside. Furthermore, Democrats have received polling data indicating that voters are hesitant to trust elected officials who endorse Mr. Biden’s mental acuity and support his candidacy.
In her interview, Ms. Baldwin refrained from explicitly endorsing Mr. Biden or calling for his withdrawal. She emphasized that she has been conveying the growing concerns she has been hearing to the White House as strongly as possible.
