Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) has chosen to campaign for Senate with Hillary Clinton, as numerous other Democrats distance themselves from President Biden preceding the midterm elections.
A report indicates that Hillary will hold a massive virtual fundraiser for Ryan on Monday, for which attendees will pay between $2,900 and $20,800 to participate.
Hillary’s participation in the fundraiser while Biden watches from the sidelines is another example of an emerging trend. As Biden’s approval rating is pegged at 33 percent among voters and 25 percent among independent voters, 2022 candidates have ignored and even outright opposed Biden’s help.
When Biden visited Georgia in January to speak about federalizing elections, gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams did not attend his event due to a scheduling conflict. Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke stated last week he is “not interested” in help from Biden during his Texas campaign.
Pennsylvania Democrats John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro on Thursday cited conflicts in their schedules for their absence during Biden’s visit to Pennsylvania.
Democrat candidates in Iowa and North Carolina have even stopped talking or tweeting about Biden. Moreover, Democrat Governors Association chair and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) completely avoided the question when asked about Biden’s role in the governors’ campaigns.
Despite the negative trend, Biden told reporters during his January 19 press conference that he’s been asked by “scores” of candidates for 2022 election help.
But Democrat operatives and consultants that worked for Hillary have told Axios that 2022 candidates must stay away from Biden because the president could hurt Democrat candidates.
“It’s more important for people to believe the candidate and see them as authentic than it is for them to have the right label on their jacket,” former Hillary campaign staffer Jesse Ferguson said.
In addition, Democrat candidates seem to be gravitating towards Hillary’s political web of consultants and fundraisers. For instance, secretary of state candidate Anna Valencia in Illinois selected Hillary’s head fundraiser Laura Ricketts to operate her primary campaign.
“There is far too much at stake this year for the Democratic Party that we must ensure we have the right candidate on the ballot in the General Election,” Ricketts told Politico about the primary.
Underneath Hillary’s political power is the establishment media, which has backed Hillary’s return to politics. “What’s behind the Hillary Clinton ’24 talk,” is the title of an opinion piece by Michael D’Antonio at CNN.
Schoen Cooperman, former pollster for Bill Clinton, and Andrew Stein, a former New York City Council member, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Hillary is the Democrats’ “best option” to defeat the Republican nominee for president in 2024.
Hillary is an “experienced national figure who is younger than Mr. Biden and can offer a different approach from the disorganized and unpopular one the party is currently taking.” the article read.
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