Republicans have worked diligently this election cycle to tie their Democratic opponents to President Obama and his sinking approval rating, prompting several vulnerable incumbents to distance themselves publicly from the White House.
But it doesn’t appear that the president is exactly on board with underscoring differences between his administration and members of his party, assuring voters on Monday that Democratic candidates in red states will vote with him and support his agenda.
“We’ve got a tough map. A lot of the states that are contested this time are states that I didn’t win. And so some of the candidates there — it is difficult for them to have me in the state because the Republicans will use that to try to fan Republican turnout,” the president said during an interview with MSNBC’s Al Sharpton.
“The bottom line is though, these are all folks who vote with me, they have supported my agenda in Congress,” he said, adding later, “This isn’t about my feelings being hurt. These are folks who are strong allies and supporters of me.”
Vulnerable Democratic candidates, including Sens. Mark Begich, D-Ala., Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Mark Udall, D-Colo., have stated publicly and repeatedly that they differ from the White House and that they aren’t in Congress merely to “rubberstamp” the president’s agenda. Some have even been hesitant or refused outright to admit they voted for Obama for president.
This marks the second time this month that Obama has reasserted his relevance at the expense of Democratic candidates running for office. At a rally in Illinois, he recently reminded voters that although he isn’t on the ballot, his policies are.
