President Joe Biden has thrown his political weight behind Democrat midterm candidates in 2022 less than former Presidents Trump and Barack Obama did in 2018 and 2010, Air Force One logs show.
Biden’s political calculation to remain in Washington, DC, and not fly around the nation to bolster support for House and Senate candidates is notable because multiple Democrat candidates appear willing to go without the president’s ability to drive campaign fundraising and local media attention.
With just five weeks until election day, the Democrat Party likely perceives Biden as more of a political liability than an asset. Under Biden’s leadership, the southern border has remained open, gas prices have spiked, and inflation has soared. Biden’s record has negatively impacted the Democrats’ chances of maintaining control of the House and Senate.
As a result, Biden has only traveled to 46 cities and held 11 fundraisers, according to an Axios report on Air Force One logs. The numbers pale compared to the former presidents’ movements during the 2010 and 2018 midterms. Obama visited 78 cities and held 16 fundraisers, while Trump visited 57 cities and held 27 fundraisers, the report found.
When Biden has flown to campaign events, many flights have been to Democrat-controlled cites on the coasts, like Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Yet when he has visited battleground states, some Democrat candidates have not shown up.
Such was the case in Wisconsin. In September, Democrat Senate candidate Mandela Barnes refused to appear at a campaign event with Biden. Instead, Barnes was elsewhere in the state.
“Mandela walked in the Milwaukee parade and then went to support Wisconsin workers at events across the state, including in Racine where UAW Local 180 has been on strike for over 100 days,” his campaign claimed.
Biden also visited the swing state of Ohio, where Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) is running against Republican J.D. Vance for Senate. Ryan attended the campaign event with Biden but told the press he would dump Biden if the president ran for reelection.
Claiming his opinion of Biden was “not breaking news,” Ryan said his aversion to Biden is no “different than the President has said himself.”
“He [Biden] said from the very beginning he was going to be a bridge to the next generation of leaders,” Ryan added.
White House director of political strategy and outreach Emmy Ruiz told Axios the president is still working hard to help Democrat candidates defeat Republicans, even though he has traveled less than former presidents. “The president has made historic investments in the different [Democratic fundraising] committees … to make sure we keep the Senate and House,” she said.
Republicans are expected to reclaim the House in November. The Senate is more of a toss-up. Democrats must either reclaim North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania or prevent Republicans from winning any of five currently-held Democrat seats: Georgia, New Hampshire, Nevada, Arizona, or Washington State.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.