Ritchie Torres urges Democrats to reconsider Joe Biden's candidacy as he calls for 'serious reckoning'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) urged the Democratic Party to reconsider President Joe Biden as their nominee for the 2024 election as he called for a "serious reckoning."

He emphasized the need to evaluate the potential down-ballot impact of their candidate choice, especially in light of the president's recent decline in polling numbers.

Ritchie Torres' concerns over polling number

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, July 10, Torres said, “In determining how to proceed as a party, there must be a serious reckoning with the down-ballot effect of whomever we nominate."

“What matters is not how we feel but what the numbers tell us,” added the New York representative.

He highlighted the alarming drop in Joe Biden's polling numbers since his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27 in Atlanta.

During the presidential debate, Biden appeared to halt and meander, sparking concerns about his age and mental fitness.

Some Democrats raised questions about the 81-year-old commander-in-chief's capability to serve another four-year term.

Since then, seven House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside while others have expressed similar concerns privately.

Joe Biden remains firm in his stance about presidential candidacy

Despite the calls to quit the 2024 race, Biden has remained firm in his stance that he will continue his reelection campaign.

In a call to donors on Monday, July 8, he said, “The Democratic nominee is me."

In a recent letter to Congressional Democrats, Biden wrote that “voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party."

“How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party?” he wrote.

Urging the lawmakers to unite behind his candidacy, the president wrote, "The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end."

“Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together," Biden added.

Ritchie Torres' criticism of Democrats message on Joe Biden's candidacy

On Monday, July 8, Torres slammed the Democratic Party's lack of a unified message on Biden's candidacy as he said the “drip, drip, drip of public statements of no confidence only serve to weaken a President who has been weakened not only by the debate but also by the debate about the debate.”

Responding to a headline about donors of the Democratic Party calling for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, a separate post by Torres read, “Donors do not decide the Democratic nominee. The People do."

Emphasizing the importance of basing decisions on objective data, Torres said, “An unsentimental analysis of the cold hard numbers—which have no personal feelings or political loyalties—should inform what we decide and whom we nominate."

“If we’re going to choose a particular path, we should be clear-eyed about its consequences. Blindness is not bliss amid the terrifying threat of a Trump presidency,” he said on Wednesday, July 10.

Torres' remarks come after new polls suggested Democrats currently face tougher odds to beat Trump in the upcoming November election.