In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), declined to weigh in whether President Joe Biden should step aside over concerns about his age and mental acuity, instead simply saying that the president is a better choice than former President Donald Trump.

“There is a clear choice for voters this November between an administration focused on lowering costs for the middle class, standing up for democracy, and protecting reproductive rights, and Trump’s MAGA agenda that would ban abortion, cut Social Security and Medicare, and devastate hardworking families,” Rosen said. 

Rosen, up for re-election in a Senate race expected to be one of the closest in the country, has arguably the most to lose from a Biden underperformance at the top of the ticket. Polls currently show her running several points — up to 15 points in some surveys ahead of the president, a margin that has not been seen in Nevada in two decades.

Rosen’s comments come as congressional Democrats weigh whether or not to encourage Biden — suffering from a low approval rating and questions over his ability to defeat Trump after a faltering debate performance — to drop out of the race. At stake are control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, which members such as Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) fear would be lost if Biden remains as the Democratic candidate. 

By declining to weigh in on Biden’s fitness as a candidate, Rosen’s statement threads the needle between more enthusiastic members of the Nevada delegation, such as Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who suggested the criticism of the president is ageist and ableist, and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), who has been skeptical since the debate.

Other Senate Democrats in tough races have, like Rosen, tried to maintain distance from Biden and the presidential race. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has emphasized that the decision to drop out lies with Biden and that while she supports the entire Democratic ticket, she is focused on her own re-election. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has remained coy, saying only that voters have concerns about the president, while Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) has said Biden needs to prove that he’s up to the job for four more years. 

Like her counterparts, Rosen has sought to separate the Senate race from the presidential.

“I'm focused on my own re-election campaign, continuing my record as one of the most bipartisan and independent senators, and putting politics aside to get things done for Nevada,” she said.

Regardless, Republicans — including her opponent Sam Brown — have hammered Rosen over her affiliation with Biden.

"Joe Biden was a disaster on the debate stage, and he's been a disaster for working Nevada families,” Kristy Wilkinson, Brown’s communications manager, said in a statement. “He is clearly unfit to lead. Yet Senator Jacky Rosen continues to blindly support and endorse Joe Biden and his destructive agenda, proving she prioritizes what DC wants over what Nevadans need.”