First-term Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) became the 18th Democratic member of Congress to demand President Joe Biden abandon his reelection bid in a statement released Friday morning.

“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I’m joining the growing number of people in my district and across the country to ask him to do it again,” she said. “Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump.”

Pettersen, who won her seat in 2022 by about 15 points, called the decision “so painful” and credited Biden as “a big reason I went down the path of public service myself” but said “my son and my constituents can’t suffer the consequences of inaction at this critical moment.”

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