Scholten said the decision was up to the president and that she would respect his choice if he continued to run, adding that she would still vote for him: Voters had chosen him to represent them honestly and “speak the truth even when it’s difficult,” she said.
“Given the challenges facing our country in 2025 and beyond, it is essential that we elect a top candidate — not just to win, but to govern — who will staunchly defend women’s right to make their own health care decisions while also building on gains we’ve made in lowering health care costs and protecting workers,” she said. “We need a standard-bearer who will fight day in, day out for civil rights and voting rights, and who will unite the free world against the rise of authoritarianism. Joe Biden has been that leader for a long time, but this isn’t about the past, it’s about the future. It’s time to pass the baton.”
Scholten became the 13th Democrat in the House and the 12th Democrat in the House to call on Biden to drop out of the race. On Wednesday night, Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) became the first, and so far only, Senate Democrat to echo those calls.
Scholten will represent Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers parts of western Michigan including the city of Grand Rapids, starting in 2023. Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report rates her race as “likely Democrat to win.”
