On Wednesday, Vermont Senator Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to ask President Joe Biden to step down as the party’s choice for the next presidential election.

“The stakes are very high. We can’t ignore President Biden’s poor performance in the recent debate. We also can’t dismiss the important questions that have come up since then,” Welch said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. Despite expressing “great respect” for the president, Welch urged him to reconsider running for re-election.

“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again,” Welch explained. “But he needs to think about whether he’s the best person to do so. In my opinion, he isn’t. For the good of the country, I’m asking President Biden to drop out of the race.”

Welch praised Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “a capable, proven leader.” He also mentioned that the Democratic Party has “other young, energetic governors and senators from important states” who could run instead.

With these comments, Welch became the 10th congressional Democrat to ask Biden to step aside. The other nine were all former colleagues of his in the House of Representatives. On Tuesday, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet said he doesn’t believe Biden can win re-election, but he didn’t go as far as asking Biden to withdraw.

Welch, representing a strongly Democratic state, mentioned in his opinion piece that “Vermont loves Joe Biden.” He pointed out that Biden and Harris received the highest percentage of votes in Vermont compared to any other state. However, Welch added, “Regular Vermonters are worried that he can’t win this time, and they’re scared of another Trump presidency.”