U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio calls on President Joe Biden to end reelection campaign

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown has become the latest Senate Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign, just weeks before the Democratic National Convention.

Brown faces a tough reelection bid against Republican businessman Bernie Moreno in a state where voters have picked former President Donald Trump twice. Brown had said little about Biden's political future since the disastrous debate performance that reinforced Democrats' worst fears about the president's age and political future.

But that changed Friday when Brown joined fellow Democratic members of Congress calling for Biden to drop out of the race.

"Over the last few weeks, I've heard from Ohioans on important issues, such as how to continue to grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resources to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban," Brown said in a statement. "These are the issues Ohioans care about and it is my job to keep fighting for them.

"I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me. At this critical time, our full attention must return to these important issues. I think the president should end his campaign."

In response, Moreno called on Biden to resign the presidency and asked Brown to join him.

"If Joe Biden is unfit to run, he is unfit to serve," Moreno said in a statement. "Make no mistake, Brown was fully aware of Joe Biden's mental decline, covered it up, and used Biden as a vessel to pass the most liberal agenda in American history."

Brown believes Biden should serve out the rest of his term and will not weigh in on who should be the Democratic nominee instead, according to his campaign.

Moreno had criticized Brown for largely staying silent as other high-profile Democrats have called on Biden to call it quits.

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"I'm not a pundit," Brown told reporters earlier this month, adding that Ohioans had legitimate questions about Biden and he would keep listening.

Brown is the fourth Senate Democrat to call for the president to abandon his effort to seek their party's nomination. Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Jon Tester of Montana previously called on Biden to step down. U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, of Cincinnati, also said Friday that it was time for Biden to step aside.

Biden is facing increasing pressure from donors and fellow Democrats to drop out of the presidential race. Democrats are poised to select a presidential nominee in a virtual roll call vote in early August – in part to ensure Biden made the Ohio ballot. But that date has not yet been set.

The statements come just two days after Ohio's other U.S. senator, JD Vance, accepted the Republic Party's nomination for vice president during its national convention in Milwaukee.

USA TODAY NETWORK Ohio Bureau reporter Haley BeMiller contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown calls on President Joe Biden to end campaign