Peter Welch becomes first Democratic senator to call on Biden to step down

Peter Welch (D-VT) on Wednesday became the first Democratic senator to call on President Joe Biden to officially withdraw from the presidential race.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Welch wrote that Biden should step aside for the "good of the country."

Welch, who is a first-term senator and is considered a progressive within the Democratic caucus, said Biden "is a man of uncommon decency" and "cares deeply about our democracy," but that "the latest data makes it clear that the political peril to Democrats is escalating."

The senator also cited the presidential debate that Biden starred in and stated that "we cannot unsee President Biden's disastrous debate performance" in it.

"We have asked President Biden to do so much for so many for so long. ... We need him to put us first, as he has done before," the article continued. "I urge him to do it now."

"For the good of the country, I'm calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race," Welch declared.

Along with him, there are now 10 Democrats in Congress who have asked Biden to resign. Welch's announcement comes just before the president's top aides meet with Senate Democrats behind closed doors on Thursday.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited a group of Biden advisers to meet with him in hopes of calming fears within the Democratic caucus, reported Politico.

However, Axios reported Wednesday that, privately, Schumer is telling donors that he is willing to support a candidate other than Biden. This situation could be a giant problem for the Democratic chairman, who so far has the support of the party's top brass (at least publicly).

In that sense, this meeting on Thursday is critical for Biden, who still has a core  group of senators who support him and must convince the undecideds that he is the only Democratic candidate who can defeat Trump in November.