Please pass the torch for the sake of our democracy.

You have been an incredible, successful president. You are clearly a deeply kind, caring and ethical man, for whom I have so much respect. However, you don’t seem to realize that the vast majority of voters in your party did NOT want you to run again, primary votes notwithstanding. Your recent performance in the debate and since then demonstrated to us that you cannot truly prosecute the case against Donald Trump. Your unwillingness to recognize this— and to see how staying in the race will damage your legacy as well as cause democrats to lose down the ballot—is surprising and disheartening. You are correct that this is the most consequential election of our lifetime. And you need to know it’s not the “Democratic elites” who are asking you to pass the torch; it's the vast majority of folks in the party and in the country. Your insisting otherwise is heartbreaking and surprisingly MAGA-esque. Please reconsider, for the sake of our democracy. Thank you so much for your service and sacrifices on your behalf.