Downward angle icon Downward angle icon. Rep. Ritchie Torres changed his public stance Wednesday, urging Democrats to look at the “cold numbers.” Noam Galai/Getty Images Rep. Ritchie Torres once scolded Biden skeptics, but now says Democrats need to look at the “cold numbers.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal supports Biden but said he is “deeply concerned” about the election. The comments came after new polling numbers showed Democrats losing ground in key battleground states.
On Monday, New York Rep. Ritchie Torres scolded Democratic lawmakers for “a continuous stream of public statements of no confidence” in President Biden. On Wednesday, Torres issued his own statement of no confidence, but did not explicitly call for the president to drop out of the race.
Even the president’s public supporters are sounding the alarm. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has made it clear he supports Biden since the debate, said Wednesday that he is “deeply concerned that Joe Biden will win in November.”
Democrats remain divided over how to handle Biden and the mood on Capitol Hill remains grim, but recent polling numbers have added fuel to an already burning fire. The Cook Political Report showed Democrats trailing in six key battleground states, clearly unsettling Rep. Torres. Before making his latest statement, he posted a photo of the new ratings on Twitter with the caption “Alarming and sobering.”
Rep. Torres said in a statement on Monday that the ongoing debate over Biden’s reelection only risks weakening his candidacy, while his latest position appears to place more emphasis on quantitative rather than qualitative assessments.
“It’s not about how we feel, it’s about what the numbers say,” Rep. Torres said Wednesday. “We need to let emotion get the better of us and let cold hard numbers, independent of personal feelings or political loyalties, determine what decisions we make and who we nominate.”
Rep. Torres didn’t mince words in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, warning of the electoral impact of lower-ranking candidates, saying, “If they’re going to commit political suicide, they should at least be honest about it.”
The offices of Rep. Torres and Sen. Blumenthal did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Other Democrats are also growing increasingly worried. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi failed to forcefully support the president during a talk show appearance on Wednesday, instead giving uncharacteristically vague responses.
