Sen. Jon Tester (D., Mont.), one of the most vulnerable Democrats seeking reelection in November, said on Monday that President Joe Biden must "prove" he can serve another term amid mounting calls for him to step down as the Democratic nominee.
"President Biden has got to prove to the American people—including me—that he’s up to the job for another four years," Tester said in a statement. "Meanwhile, I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done: Stand up to President Biden when he’s wrong and protect our Montana way of life."
The Montana Democrat has a strong record of voting for Biden’s policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan. He also voted in favor of all 200 Biden-appointed judges and against former president Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees.
Tester is facing a tough reelection bid in the deep-red state this fall against Republican candidate Tim Sheehy. The senator has been in recent months voting Republican or moderate on "less consequential" issues to "cover up [his] career of rubber-stamping Democrats’ agenda," according to the National Republican Senate Committee.
Tester’s Monday statement came as several prominent Democratic officials have voiced concerns about Biden’s mental capabilities following the octogenarian’s disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27.
Five House Democrats have publicly demanded Biden’s exit from the presidential race since the debate, and a handful of senior Democrats on Sunday said in a private meeting that the 81-year-old incumbent should step aside.
Biden, however, in a letter Monday to congressional Democrats, reaffirmed his commitment to stay in the race. "I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden wrote, urging Democrats to "come together" and "move forward as a unified party."