Sen. Sherrod Brown: Ohioans have 'legitimate questions' about Biden campaign

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown sidestepped questions Monday about President Joe Biden's fitness for office as Democrats debate whether Biden should drop out of the presidential race.

"I'm not going to judge people in my party, what they're saying or what Republicans are saying," Brown told reporters in Youngstown, according to his campaign. "I'm not a pundit. I've talked to people across Ohio. They have legitimate questions about whether the president should continue his campaign, and I'll keep listening to people."

Brown's comments came nearly two weeks after the first debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump, where the president fumbled over words and lost his train of thought. The event spurred a conversation among Democrats about whether Biden, 81, can continue running for reelection, defeat Trump in November and serve another four-year term.

Biden said he intends to stay in the race.

The issue underscores Brown's reluctance to wade into presidential politics as he runs his own campaign against Republican businessman Bernie Moreno. Brown is one of two Democratic senators seeking reelection in a state won by Trump in 2020, making him one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country.

"Sherrod Brown votes with Joe Biden nearly 100% of the time, so it is unsurprising that he is standing by Biden as his obvious cognitive decline and inability to lead our nation is on full display to the American people," Moreno said in a statement.

What are Ohio Democrats saying about Joe Biden?

The response to Biden's debate performance has been mixed among other Ohio Democrats.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati, said Monday that "time is running out" for Biden to make his case to voters, although he didn't directly call on the president to step aside. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, defended Biden after he talked with the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday.

"We saw the old Joe Biden," Beatty told MSNBC. "He addressed the issue and said as he has said openly that the 90-minute debate, it was a mistake. He didn't do a good job. He was sick. He was tired. He hadn't rested enough. Since then, we've seen him make a comeback."

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, declined to comment through a spokesman. A spokesperson for Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, did not respond to a request for comment. Like Brown, Kaptur and Sykes face tough reelection bids this year in two of the country's most competitive House districts.

Former Congressman Tim Ryan, who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022, called on Biden to drop out and pave the way for Vice President Kamala Harris.

House and Senate Democrats met behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss the presidential campaign.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sherrod Brown mum on Biden as Democrats debate presidential race