Eagerness to support President Joe Biden in his 2024 campaign is seemingly mixed among Democratic lawmakers, according to a CNN report.
Campaigning alongside an incumbent president usually elicits excitement from party members. However, Biden’s approval rating has been hovering around 40% for the last two years, and his age has gotten a lot of negative attention after special counsel Robert Hur’s report released earlier this month. Now, many Democrats, especially those in swing districts, are being selective with how much they want to campaign with Biden. Many candidates and staffers said they only want to appear with Biden if the focus is on their district and not his presidential campaign.
Recently elected Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), who replaced George Santos in a special election in the Long Island district, did not explicitly run his campaign in tandem with the Biden administration. Suozzi supported Biden’s record but said he did not want Biden campaigning on his behalf and made comments about his age.
“We all know people — I know 81-year-old people that are in good shape, and I know 81-year-olds that are not in great shape. He’s old, and there’s no question about it,” Suozzi told Good Day New York.
Biden officials, however, argue that Suozzi’s strategy of distancing himself from Biden may not be well received in all districts. They also argue that circumstances surrounding Suozzi’s election were unique in terms of campaign advertising.
“To say Biden was not a factor in this race is to ignore $2 million in advertising,” said a Biden campaign aide about Suozzi’s campaign.
The Biden campaign looks to flip North Carolina in the general election, a state former President Donald Trump won in 2020 and 2016. Rep. Don Davis (D-NC), who represents a district composed of many rural communities, was unclear about whether or not campaigning with Biden would be seen as an asset in his district.
“When he was there, when I’m here, I’m advocating for the people in my district, whether I agree with the president or not,” Davis said. “What I am saying is, I am going to advocate with any and everybody that has any way of helping people in a gigantically distressed area in North Carolina. I’m just saying, whoever the president is, I’m going to fight for my constituents.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ), who represents a typically blue-leaning district in the swing state, said he’s willing to campaign alongside Biden so long as Biden continues to deliver to Arizonans.
“Is he bringing CHIPs Act money that we deserve and need in Arizona? Is he bringing money for our infrastructure, including almost $100 million for I-10 expansion?” Stanton said. “If it’s on an issue that I believe in, that I’ve worked on, then yes, of course I would appear with the president.”
Some Democratic congressmen are eagerly welcoming Biden to their districts and states. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who won his district by 8 points in 2020, said he is looking forward to the Biden administration campaigning in Nevada, seeing Biden as an asset to his own campaign.
“Having the president, the vice president, the heads of agencies that are bringing the benefits of healthcare, of investments on energy, on all the small businesses, those are good things because I’m bringing the resources to my constituents and making sure they know how best to connect to them,” Horsford said. “Any time officials, including the president, can come to speak to that, they’re welcome.”
Fellow Nevadan Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) pointed to Biden’s policy working in her district, saying voters see these improvements and that she can’t part ways with him.
“I’ve been riding with Biden from the very beginning, and I couldn’t deny it if I wanted to. But I don’t, because he’s popular in my district,” Titus said. “We had the highest unemployment in the country, and now we’re the fastest-recovering state in the country.”
Senate candidates are more loyal with their public support for the president than members of the House and seem confident in the work Biden has done for their respective states.
Despite private comments to colleagues about fears Biden may hurt her chance at winning a Senate seat in Michigan, Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s (D-MI) spokesman Austin Cook said she will publicly campaign with and support the president. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), stated he would be “sure” to be seen with Biden again in the Grand Canyon state over the course of his campaign.
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Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is pleased with the work Biden has done for Wisconsinites, and her campaign said it will continue to take support from the president.
“[Biden] continues to demonstrate he’s focused on delivering good-paying jobs for Wisconsin workers, fighting for lower prices for Wisconsin families, and protecting all of our most fundamental rights and freedom,” Andrew Mano, spokesman for the Baldwin campaign, said. “Our campaign looks forward to working alongside the president and Democrats up and down the ticket this year.”