Report: Vulnerable House Democrats Cautious Not to Lean into ‘Bidenomics’

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Nick Gilbertson

The White House has gone all in on “Bidenomics,” but some Democrat members of Congress are reportedly being careful not to embrace the Biden branding.

Politico’s Nicholas Wu, Anthony Adragna, and Daniella Diaz noted the dynamic in an article on Tuesday and pointed to Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) as an example. As they note, “Vasquez is careful about pointing to economic progress.”

“I’m hyper-focused on the district. I think the most important job that a congressperson can do is first listen, and then react,“ Vasquez said. “And so I’m not going to go into my district pushing a Democratic agenda that people don’t feel is happening on the ground.”

Although Biden won the district fairly comfortably last election cycle, Vasquez won his election by a razor-thin margin of 1,350 votes against former Rep. Yvetee Herrell (R-NM) in November. In other words, he is vulnerable in a competitive district heading into 2024, and his distancing from “Bidenomics” seems to indicate his team sees the branding as a risky prospect.

In response to Vasquez’s remarks, National Republican Congressional Committee press secretary Will Reinert suggested that House Democrats “know” that “Bidenomics is a failure.” 

“Bidenomics is a failure. The American people know it. Extreme House Democrats know it, and they can either tell the truth or continue to spew lies by toeing the party line,” he stated in a release.

While leaning into “Bidenomics” may be risky business for some Democrats, it is “not necessarily a terrible strategy” for the White House, as Breitbart News Economics Editor John Carney pointed out. He highlighted that “in the unlikely event that inflation came down with minimal damage to employment, Biden’s claiming credit for the economy might boost his prospects.”

“In other words: Biden was always going to ‘own’ this economy, so he might as well have bet that it would improve,” Carney emphasized. 

While Vasquez has not gravitated to “Bidenomics,” Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) told Politico it has had a positive impact on the nation. Unlike Vasquez, she was an incumbent during her reelection bid last year, which she won by nearly six points. Her district yielded a nine-point advantage to Biden in 2020, per Politico. 

Democrats who are in bluer districts than Titus have come out in support of Bidenomics as well in recent days. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Rep. Jan Shakowsky (D-IL) both touted the jobs report last week and credited Biden with the hashtags #BidenBoom and #Bidenomics.

Pascrell won reelection by more than 11 points last year, while Schakowsky won by 43 percent.

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