Wisconsin Senate candidate Mandela Barnes was absent from President Joe Biden’s Labor Day event in Milwaukee as some Democratic candidates distance themselves from Biden in the last stretch before the midterm elections.
In a speech that centered on “MAGA Republicans” and unions, Biden voiced support for Barnes, whom he called “the next United States senator,” and blasted his opponent, incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
FETTERMAN TO APPEAR WITH BIDEN AT PITTSBURGH LABOR DAY PARADE
“This guy never stops,” Biden said, referencing Johnson’s opposition to Obamacare. “But guess what? I ain’t stopping, either.”
While Barnes appreciated Biden visiting Milwaukee, he chose instead to participate in a labor parade and meet with striking factory workers in Racine, campaign spokeswoman Maddy McDaniel told the Washington Examiner. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, appeared with Biden at the event.
Biden’s job approval rating is low among Wisconsinites, coming in at 40% in August, according to a Marquette University poll of voters, and he only won the state during the 2020 presidential election by 0.6 points. Barnes led Johnson by 7 percentage points, according to the same poll.
Biden also made a stop in Pennsylvania on Monday, where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate candidate, appeared with him at an event. Fetterman is facing Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee, in a close race for retiring Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) seat. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who is running for governor, was absent from Biden’s Pittsburgh speech but did stump with him last week in Wilkes-Barre.
In Ohio, Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic Senate nominee, said he would attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a semiconductor factory with the president despite previously indicating that he didn’t want to campaign with Biden.
The party that takes the presidency historically does poorly in the following midterm elections, and with an unpopular president, candidates are hesitant to tie themselves to his coattails — especially in swing states. But since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, Democrats are hopeful for a groundswell of support. Combined with falling gas prices and Biden’s slightly improved ratings, the risks of rallying with him may have decreased for swing-state candidates.
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Biden is attempting to turn the table on the GOP by repeatedly castigating “MAGA Republicans” as enemies over the past several weeks, blaming them for division in the country.
“The extreme MAGA Republicans in Congress have chosen to go backwards, full of anger, violence, hate, and division,” he said in Wisconsin. “But together, we can and we must choose a different path forward.”
