DENVER — In an interview on CNN Tuesday, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D - Colorado) said he does not believe President Joe Biden can win the 2024 election.
"This race is on a trajectory that is very worrisome if you care about the future of this country," the senator told CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
Earlier Tuesday, CNN's Dana Bush reported that Bennet — along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D - Ohio) and Jon Tester (D - Montana) — told colleagues during a Democratic Caucus lunch that they did not believe Biden could win re-election. Bennet confirmed that report Tuesday evening.
"It's true that I said that, and I did say that behind closed doors. And you guys and others asked whether I'd said it, and that is what I said. So I figured I should come here and say it publicly," Bennet said.
BREAKING: Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet @MichaelBennet just confirmed to CNN that he doesn’t believe President Biden can win in November. @DenverChannel #copolitics https://t.co/khXhSiCzh8
— Brandon Richard (@BrandonLRichard) July 10, 2024
Questions have been swirling about Biden's ability to win back the presidential seat after a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
"This is the first time in more than 20 years that a Republican president has been up in this part of the campaign. Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House," Bennet said.
The senator also accused the White House of not properly addressing said concerns.
"The White House, in the time since that disastrous debate, I think, has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election, that they have a convincing plan to win in the battleground states where we have to win in order to win this election. And they need to do that. They have to demonstrate that to the American people," Bennet said. "And by the way, this is not about ignoring the American people's concerns. It's not about brushing off the American people's concerns. They have to address the American people's concerns."
He said he has heard concerns from his Colorado constituents.
"The people that I represent from Colorado have deep concerns about whether or not the president can win this race," Bennet said.
The senator, however, did not outright call on Biden to step down from the race.
"This is something for the president really to consider. And I believe those of us that are in these elected offices have a moral obligation to the people that we represent and the future of our country, to the kids that I used to work for in the Denver Public Schools, we have a moral obligation to them to do everything we can to make sure their future is as bright as it could be," Bennet said. "And if we just sit on our hands, if we say we're going to disregard what is plainly in front of us and plainly in front of the American people, and we ended up electing Donald Trump again as president of the United States, that's going to be a huge tragedy beyond epic proportion."
Politics
Fallout from Biden debate performance could impact Colorado Congressional races
Bennet is not the only Colorado Democrat to question whether Biden should stay in the race. Democratic congressional candidate Adam Frisch called on Biden to step down from the presidential race, saying the country needs “a new generation of leadership."
“We need a president that can unite America to realize our nation's unlimited potential. We deserve better. President Biden should withdraw from this race,” Frisch said, adding that while he thanks the president for his years of service, “the path ahead requires a new generation of leadership to take our country forward.”
The Colorado Democratic Party, however, believes Biden is the party's best candidate.
"The president admitted that he had a rough night, and that's fine. But the fact remains that President Biden proved he is the only candidate in this race with a proven track record of delivering for Colorado and improving the lives of Coloradans," said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib earlier this month.
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