On July 8, Washington state 9th District Representative Adam Smith called on President Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign.

In a statement, Rep. Smith said that it would be a “mistake” for Biden to continue with his campaign for president and that “no candidate is owed another term in office based solely on past performance,” referring to Biden’s “outstanding” first term in office.

“Any candidate for the highest office in our nation has a strong burden to bear. That candidate must be able to clearly, articulately, and strongly make his or her case to the American people. It is clear that President Biden is no longer able to meet this burden,” said Smith, who represents Mercer Island, Renton, Tukwila, Des Moines, Federal Way and parts of Seattle, Bellevue, Kent and Auburn. “Donald Trump and MAGA extremism pose an existential threat to our nation, and we need to be in the strongest possible position to win in this election.”

Smith also called on Biden to release his delegates to the the Democratic National Convention, which would enable the party to nominate a new Democratic presidential candidate.

In the same statement, Smith stated that he believes that Biden is currently the best candidate in the current field and that he will back the president “one hundred percent” if Biden continues to run, but he still believes that Biden should step aside.

”Every new term must be earned with the clear understanding of what that candidate will be capable of doing in the term to come,” Smith said. “If the president continues his campaign, it would be a mistake. He should step aside now so that we can find a new candidate that will put us in the strongest possible position to beat Donald Trump in November.”

Last week, Smith also released a statement following the July 1 Supreme Court decision on Trump v. United States, where it was ruled that a former president has “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority.”

In Congressman Smith’s July 3 statement, he said that the Supreme Court decision was “shocking to our democracy” and that “the Supreme Court has time and time again dealt a deadly blow to its own legitimacy and reputation.”

“The Court’s holding now allows the president to commit crimes as long as they do so in the course of their official duties,” said Smith. “No one should be above the law, not even the president […] This case follows a number of concerning decisions made by this Supreme Court that have called their impartiality and judgment into question. Extreme decisions have diminished the right to reproductive care and undermined the ability of the government to protect the environment. They are destabilizing and devastating for our country.”

Smith also said that the decision “followed a distressing pattern of blatant partisanship from conservative justices on the Court,” citing justices refusing to recuse themselves when they have personal stakes in specific cases, failing to report gifts and benefits from influential parties and justices who have “appeared to defer and delay certain decisions to benefit their preferred political candidate.”

Smith commented on the necessity of oversight “for the sake of democracy” and called on House Democrats to “engage in aggressive oversight to ensure that extreme far-right ideologues on the Court are brought into compliance with the Constitution.”