U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, an influential member of Maryland’s Congressional delegation and a national Democratic voice, has asked President Joe Biden in a letter to weigh his future carefully, writing that the nation’s future is on the line.

He’s the highest-ranking Maryland Democrat to suggest that stepping down could be a consideration for Biden, whose campaign has struggled in recent weeks.

Raskin penned the letter to Biden earlier this month that was full of praise, but also compared the president to a tired baseball player needing to decide whether to continue, as first reported by The New York Times.

The letter’s baseball analogy references a key game in the 2003 playoffs in which Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez insisted to the manager that he could stay in the game against the Yankees, despite tiring as his pitch count rose. The Yankees quickly tied the game and eventually won.

The letter, dated July 6, doesn’t directly advise whether Biden should stay or go. But it suggests that dropping out is an option.

“There is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow to the overflowing appreciation of the crowd when your arm is tired out, and there is real danger for the team in ignoring the statistics,” Raskin wrote in the letter.

The letter concludes: “Your situation is tricky because you are both our star pitcher and our Manager. But in democracy, as you have shown us more than any prior president, you are not a manager acting all alone; you are the co-Manager with our great team and our great people. Caucus with the team, Mr. President. Hear them out. You will make the right decision.”

Raskin said in a statement to the Times: “My point was that we needed a strategic internal discussion about how to move forward to decisively win the election, which is of immeasurable importance to the future of America.”

In the letter, Raskin indicated the stakes are high for Democrats and the nation: “We are under siege every day by the autocrats and monarchists, from Moscow to Mar-A-Lago, and the decisions we make will be historic for the fate of our country and our freedom.”

Raskin, a Constitutional scholar and former state senator, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, representing a district in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. He’s well-regarded among Democrats, particularly among the more liberal wing. He gained respect — and national prominence — for being one of the lead impeachment managers against then-President Donald Trump in 2021.

He’s the top-ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

With his letter, Raskin joins a chorus of influential Democrats pushing Biden to consider his options.

One day earlier, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, a prominent and powerful lawmaker, called on Biden to drop out of the campaign, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times. Schiff’s statement to the newspaper included: “I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

Biden has repeatedly insisted he is staying in the race.

Maryland Democrats have largely stayed silent on the matter or continued to promote Biden’s prospects. Gov. Wes Moore, in particular, has been one of Biden’s chief cheerleaders, even in the wake of a disappointing debate performance in June that sent many Democrats into a panic about their candidate.

Last week Sen. Chris Van Hollen offered an opaque opinion, saying “I’m confident that the president will make a decision that’s in the best interests of the country,” according to The Washington Post.

Some politicos and pundits have begun guessing and prognosticating what might happen if Biden bowed out. Would Vice President Kamala Harris become the nominee, or might Democrats settle the matter at their convention next month?

Moore’s name has been floated as a potential replacement for Biden, or as a vice-presidential candidate should Harris become the presidential nominee. A poll circulating this week found Moore one of the most popular potential replacements, Politico reported. He has repeatedly said that he’s focused on his current job as governor.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott was asked by reporters Thursday who he thinks should replace Biden, if Biden withdraws.

“If the president decides to drop out, then the vice president should be the nominee, period,” Scott, a Democrat, said. “It’s literally the reason why we have the position. She’s been doing the work and doing a great job doing the work.”

Scott cautioned against passing over the sitting vice president and alienating Black women, who are a key part of the Democratic electorate.

“We know who it should be. And I want to send a message to anyone, particularly my fellow Democrats, that if anyone goes out and says it should be anybody other than the vice president, then they’re showing us their true selves,” Scott said.

He continued: “I want them to hear me very clear: If you say it should be someone other than the vice president, if you go out and try to make it you, you are running the risk of having your party lose the group of people who have saved this country in election after election after election, in Black women.”

Biden made no public comments by Thursday afternoon, as he remained at his home in Delaware with a case of COVID.