Three former Hawaii Democratic governors — John Waihee, Ben Cayetano and Neil Abercrombie — today called for President Joe Biden to withdraw his bid for a second term following Biden’s poor debate performance last week against former President Donald Trump.

The governors wrote, “What is now known as The Debate was a moment of truth — a moment not of revelation but rather confirmation of what has been apparent for months — The President’s obvious physical decline and increasing difficulty in communicating clearly and cogently.”

Cayetano told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser today that he and Abercrombie had been discussing Biden’s debate performance then enlisted Waihee in joining them to call for Biden to end his campaign, which could set off a scramble for someone to replace him during next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Vice President Kamala Harris represents “the only one who can tap into the money that was pledged to Joe Biden,” Cayetano said.

But Cayetano also quickly ran down a list of Democratic governors — especially in battleground states — he said he believes would make a good ticket, including Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

Cayetano, 84, said he could not imagine the rigors of the presidency on Biden, age 81.

“I can’t imagine a person that old doing the toughest job in the world,” Cayetano said.

Abercrombie is 86 and Waihee 78.

The former governors wrote that, “The three of us are the 4th, 5th and 7th Governors of the State of Hawaii. Our respective Native Hawaiian, Filipino and Caucasian ancestries are indicative of the diverse reality of Democratic Part(y) values in electoral action. …

“We are linked directly generationally and politically to President Biden. We are well aware that the question of withdrawal before us is not one of age as such but aging and its implications and consequences for the overriding task of defeating Donald Trump.

“Simply and directly put we believe the President needs to withdraw his candidacy and free his 3896 delegates to the Democratic Party nominating convention. This will demonstrate without equivocation his lifelong devotion and commitment to the core values of freedom and the Constitution. The nation and its survival as our democracy are at stake.”