For Tester, a centrist lawmaker representing a fossil fuel-friendly state, steering clear of national Democrats has long been crucial to his political survival. Most recently, he pushed back against the administration over new pollution rules that could hurt Montana’s energy industry.
Yet Tester has also said that the president himself was doing a good job — comments that his opponent, Republican Tim Sheehy, resurrected in an online campaign ad after Biden’s shaky debate performance.
In a statement this week, Tester adopted a more skeptical stance. He said Biden must “prove to the American people — including me — that he’s up to the job.”
Montana voter Kathryn Natzel, a self-described moderate Democrat, supports Tester for his position on women’s reproductive rights and is clear about her reasoning.
“Don’t tell me what to do with my family,” she said.
But the 29-year-old stay-at-home mother from Billings worries younger voters who cringe at Biden’s age could also turn against Tester as he seeks a fourth term.
“It’s kind of a point against him for younger people,” Natzel said, noting that Tester’s political career spans almost her whole life.
Brown, the Ohio incumbent, was asked repeatedly about Biden on a conference call with reporters Wednesday. The subject of the call was federal rules for hydrogen hubs, but the questions focused heavily on Biden.
Brown acknowledged there are “legitimate questions” about whether Biden should continue his campaign. The senator wouldn’t answer when asked what he told colleagues privately about Biden or if he thought having Biden on the ballot hurts other Democrats, including him. He even refused to answer directly when asked if he supported the president.
“I’m not talking about politics on this call,” Brown said. “I’ve said enough.”
On a campaign swing through Wisconsin, Baldwin told reporters that the “bottom line” is that it’s Biden’s decision on whether to run and that she’s heard a lot from voters and “passed those onto the White House.”
In Pennsylvania, for the most part, Casey has brushed aside questions about how Biden’s predicament might impact his race. But his opponent, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, is highlighting Casey’s support for Biden. In digital ads, McCormick’s campaign calls Casey the “one man who will never leave Biden.” Clips of Biden calling Casey “one of my best buddies,” “one of my closest friends” and “Bobby Casey” drive home the point.
When he has talked about it, Casey has acknowledged that Biden had a bad night. But at a recent appearance with Biden in Harrisburg, he asserted that voters would ultimately side with Democrats, even in the race for the presidency. He said it comes down to whether candidates support reproductive rights for women, working families rather than billionaires, and voting rights over an insurrection.
“I do think people across the country, they have real a sense of what’s at stake in this race,” he said.