President Joe Biden’s sagging approval rating is harming Democrats’ chances of retaining the Senate, House, and a number of gubernatorial races throughout the nation.

Just 39 percent of voters approved of President Joe Biden 18 days from the election, a Civiqs poll found Friday. Fifty-two percent disapproved.

The president’s approval rating is a bellwether for midterm races. Biden’s low approval rating, which has been hovering in the high 30s for months, suggests Democrats will have a difficult time holding off a red wave come November 8.

Biden’s troubling approval rating has directly impacted Democrat candidates. Few have asked the president to campaign with them. Some have even refused to appear when he arrived for a rally, such as Wisconsin Senate candidate Mandela Barnes.

On Thursday, Biden was invited to campaign with Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman. During the campaign stop, Biden was asked by a reporter if the Democrat candidates are making mistakes by not campaigning with the president.

“Tim Ryan in Ohio said he doesn’t want you there. Warnock wouldn’t say. Do you think they are making a mistake?” the reporter asked.

“No, about 16 to 18 I’ve got and a lot more have asked – about 20 or so,” Biden replied, slurring his words.

According to Air force One flight logs obtained by Axios on October 5, Biden has campaigned for fewer candidates than his predecessors. Biden has traveled to 46 cities and held 11 fundraisers.

The numbers pale compared to the former presidents’ movements during the 2010 and 2018 midterms. Former President Barack Obama visited 78 cities and held 16 fundraisers, while former President Donald Trump visited 57 cities and held 27 fundraisers, the report found.

Biden’s political calculation to remain in Washington, D.C., 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.

Embattled Democrats in traditionally blue areas of the nation have asked Biden for help. Last week, Biden visited Oregon to boost Tina Kotek, a Democrat candidate for governor who is in danger of being defeated by Republican candidate Christie Drazan. He also rallied for Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and visited one of the bluest states in the nation, California.

“We’ve been very clear that the president is going to go out, the vice president is going to go out,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said about the trip. “They’re going to talk about the successes that we have seen in this administration in the last 19 months.”

This weekend, Biden is scheduled to be on vacation in Delaware with the election a little more than two weeks away.

The Civiqs poll averaged 266,376 responses tracked between January 20, 2021 — October 20, 2022. The Civiqs tracking model captures the shifts in attitudes of various groups over time across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. These changes can happen either rapidly or over time.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.