When President Joe Biden heads to Ohio today for another stop during which he hopes to tout his administration’s achievements – likely not the 40-year high inflation, energy crisis or foreign policy failure – he won’t get a sultry welcome from the two Democratic nominees running for statewide office in the Buckeye State as his party’s candidates try to distance themselves from the unpopular president.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District – a Democrat running for U.S. Senate against Republican candidate JD Vance – will not appear with Biden on Wednesday. Neither will Nan Whaley, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, challenging incumbent Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
Conveniently, both claimed to have “inevitable scheduling conflicts” According to to the Hill. Normal. It certainly has nothing to do with Biden’s failing popularity or the fact that Cook referred to the Senate race as “lean Republican” and the governor’s race as “probably Republican.”
If the highest-ranking member of your party comes to the state where you’re running, there’s no reason not to clear your schedules and appear in front of Democratic supporters, take some photos, and hit the press with quotes from the “leader of the free world” saying how great you are. But this is Biden, and normal campaigning conventions don’t apply when his approval ratings are lower than Trump’s.
According to the presidential poll from CivicsBiden only had a 26 percent approval rating in Ohio, which was even lower than his 30 percent national approval rating for the same tracker. There will be some Democrats in Ohio who will run with Biden, but they don’t have to worry about being associated with Biden’s failing popularity. Biden will be joined by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, who will not face voters again until 2024. Like Rep. Shontel Brown, who will be on the ballot in November in the D+30 district. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, a Democrat, won’t run for re-election until 2025, and he will also appear with President Biden on Wednesday.
And even though Rep. Ryan is avoiding Biden during the president’s visit to his state, he can’t change the fact that he voted with Biden 100 percent, According to to FiveThirtyEight as a representative of a district where Biden won by only 3.4%.
