Arlington’s Congressional delegation made headlines over the weekend amid the ongoing intra-party debate over President Joe Biden’s reelection prospects and mental fitness.
First came the news on Friday that Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) was organizing “a group of Democratic senators to ask President Biden to exit the presidential race,” as reported by the Washington Post. Last night, however, Axios reported that a planned meeting of senators today was called off.
On Sunday afternoon, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) was quoted by Punchbowl News as saying that, while he would support Biden if he stayed in the race, he believes Vice President Kamala Harris “is in a great position to win in November, probably a much better position than Joe.”
Here are some of Beyer’s exact, word-for-word quotes from the call:
“He’s clearly very, very fragile. Fragile physically, although his handshake is very firm. Also really has trouble putting two sentences together.”
“I also believe Kamala is in a great position to win in… https://t.co/b4nNLkVBz7
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 7, 2024
Beyer later released the following public statement, pledging support for Biden and the Democratic presidential ticket: “I support President Biden. I support the Biden-Harris ticket, and look forward to helping defeat Donald Trump in November. I was proud to host an event this week in Northern Virginia with the President, and will continue doing all I can to support the Biden-Harris campaign in Virginia and across the country.”
(The campaign fundraiser Beyer referenced was held at the McLean home of singer Renée Fleming, down the street from Arlington’s Jamestown Elementary School.)
For his part, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told a Norfolk TV station Friday that he’s still backing Biden since “I don’t think you can judge him on one debate nor judge him on one interview.” But he predicted that should Biden change his mind about being able to run effectively, “I think he is the kind of patriotic person who will take that George Washington move and say, ‘It’s time for someone else.'”
Biden, meanwhile, said in a letter to congressional Democrats today that he is “firmly committed to staying in the race,” the New York Times reported.
