Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) is one of few Democrats who have praised the increasingly unpopular President Joe Biden ahead of an uphill battle for reelection in the upcoming midterms.
“I mean, this man is going to go down in history as a great president,” Kaptur said ahead of Biden’s Thursday visit to Ohio. “We’ve got to help him. Most of these people get in there and all they do is run around the country. They don’t deliver. This man has delivered.”
Kaptur claimed Biden “has delivered” despite high levels of inflation, decreased wages, increased crime, and his failure to secure the nation’s southern border. Additionally, her praise of Biden comes as his approval rating has dropped to 35 percent, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.
President Joe Biden speaks with Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) as he arrives at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Thursday, May 27, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Although the Ohio Supreme Court recently rejected a Republican-drawn map, redistricting is still expected to favor Republicans. Kaptur represents parts of Lorain County, which was once a Democrat stronghold. The county supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 by a margin of 131 votes, but former President Donald Trump won it decisively during the 2020 election.
Ohio is losing its reputation as a swing state due to Trump winning the state in back-to-back elections by eight-point margins. Other Ohio Democrats recognize Biden’s unpopularity and have distanced themselves from Biden ahead of his trip to Ohio. None of the Ohio Democrat Party’s leading gubernatorial candidates are expected to attend Biden’s event, according to NBC.
As NBC reported:
“I’m not sure who’s more excited about Biden coming to Ohio — Marcy Kaptur or Theresa Gavarone,” said Josh Culling, a GOP strategist in the district who is advising Gavarone, a Republican state senator who is planning to challenge Kaptur this year.
Distancing themselves from Biden is not a phenomenon unique to Ohio Democrats. For example, gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke decided against having Biden join him on the campaign trail in Texas. Likewise, Stacey Abrams made headlines when she skipped Biden’s event in Georgia. Similarly, in Pennsylvania, leading Democrat candidates passed on attending an event with the president held at the end of last month.
After Biden’s Thursday visit to Ohio, Virginia and Michigan are the only two states he has visited more during his first year in office.
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