Former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke Says Biden ‘Failed Our Country’ By Running For Re-election

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) blamed Former President Joe Biden’s choice to run for reelection for the Democratic Party’s failure to win in 2024.

“It might be in part because of the decision that Biden and those around him made to run for reelection instead of having an open primary, where the greatest talent that the Democratic Party can muster could be on that stage, to have a competition of ideas and track record and vision, and really excite not just Democrats but the people of this country who did want change,” O’Rourke said on the Pod Save America podcast.

He also credited Biden’s age as a reason for voter disillusionment.

“To literally run the oldest guy who many people, accurately, to your point, said, ‘I just don’t think he is capable of doing this.’… I think that credibility problem is going to persist up until when Democrats say, ‘We f‑‑‑ed up, and we made a terrible mistake,'” he said.

O’Rourke’s comments came before Biden announced that he had advanced prostate cancer.

House and Senate Democrats have increasingly distanced themselves from Biden’s choice to run for a second term.

When rumors about Biden’s cognitive decline spread following a disastrous presidential debate in June 2024, many Democrats backed the incumbent’s choice to continue in the race.

Yet the upcoming release of books detailing the final months of the Biden campaign changed the views of some Democrats.

Many Democrats have come forward about their experiences with Biden.

Pete Buttigieg, former secretary of transportation and a potential Democratic candidate for the 2028 presidential election, was among many who recently admitted doubts about Biden’s choice to run for a second term.

But Biden remains obstinate about the timing of his withdrawal from the race, as well as continues to deny rumors of his cognitive decline.