Vulnerable PA Democrat Susan Wild Distances Herself from 'Bidenomics'

Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) distanced herself from “Bidenomics” while speaking with the Washington Post after touting economic legislation in her district on Tuesday.

Speaking at a fire station in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, Wild touted the partisan Inflation Reduction Act — which does not reduce inflation, despite its name — the Chips and Science Act— which received far more Democrat support than Republican support — and the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Washington Post noted. 

While the Biden Administration has attached the bills to its “Bidenomics” branding, Wild not only neglected to use the term while talking with some 60 constituents, she told the Post later that she is “not really big on catchphrases.” 

“If you use the term, ‘Bidenomics,’ but somebody can’t afford their groceries, then they’re like, ‘Yeah, Bidenomics isn’t working for me,’” she said. Her posture suggests she may see affiliation with the term as a potentially risky prospect. 

Wild represents a purple district that she barely won as an incumbent last year, with 51 percent of the vote over Republican Lisa Scheller with 49 percent. Notably, the economy and inflation were among the top issues for voters.

Wild is not the only Democrat in a purple district keeping distance from “Bidenomics.” As Politico reported on Tuesday, Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) “is careful about pointing to economic progress — let alone crediting the president’s policies for it.” 

“I’m hyper-focused on the district. I think the most important job that a congressperson can do is first listen and then react,“ Vasquez told the outlet. “And so I’m not going to go into my district pushing a Democratic agenda that people don’t feel is happening on the ground.”

While leaning into “Bidenomics” may be risky business for some Democrats, it is “not necessarily a terrible strategy” for the White House, as Breitbart News Economics Editor John Carney pointed out last month. He highlighted that “in the unlikely event that inflation came down with minimal damage to employment, Biden’s claiming credit for the economy might boost his prospects.”

“In other words: Biden was always going to ‘own’ this economy, so he might as well have bet that it would improve,” Carney emphasized. 

Some Democrats in safer House districts, like Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Jan Shakwosky (D-IL), have not shied away from crediting the White House on the economic front. Both touted the jobs report last week and credited Biden with the hashtag “#BidenBoom.”