Democrats in tough swing state races are being confronted with President Biden's weak debate performance last week and what it means for their respective races, given their connection to him.
"They will hide from it until all this ‘Biden should drop out’ chatter comes to some sort of conclusion," Republican strategist David Kochel predicted.
Biden's showing during the matchup with Trump was immediately panned, with reports quickly emerging about Democratic panic. There appeared to be near universal agreement, across ideological lines, that the president did not do well.
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"You know they’re all scared s------- but I think most smart [politicians] understand that it is the president’s decision how to proceed following that debate disaster," Kochel said of Senate Democrats facing tough re-election battles.
Five incumbent Democratic senators are in the most competitive races of the cycle, with nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report rating the seats of Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., as "Toss Ups."
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Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., are in races considered "Lean Democratic."
While the five senators are unlikely to step out of line and call on Biden to drop out, "I’m sure some of these folks have their fingers crossed that Biden gets out," Kochel claimed.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) was quick to tie the vulnerable Democrats and others running for open seats to Biden, highlighting their past assurances of the president's ability to lead the country for another four years.
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"Democrats created this disaster by propping up Joe Biden for years despite his obvious mental decline. Now they’ve thrown the country into a national crisis. Every Democrat must answer whether they think Joe Biden can continue to serve as President of the United States – they owe their country an explanation," NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou said in a statement.
According to Sean Brown, vice president of Axiom Strategies, "Self interest and preservation will be the ultimate motivator."
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"As Biden’s mental capacity is in question and the discussion of whether Democrats keep him as the nominee continues, Democrats in swing states will be forced to make a clear distinction from Joe," he explained. "The ultimate problem for them is there is not a positive message from four years of a Biden presidency for Democrats to talk about instead."
Republican strategist Cody Hall agreed the negative attention on Biden puts each of the vulnerable incumbents in a poor position going into their elections. "Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin and Bob Casey would rather have a potted plant than Joe Biden at the top of the ticket right now," he said.
He added that "each of them will be answering for a president the American people know isn’t up to the job and a left-wing agenda that is making it hard for families across the country to make ends meet."
What the Democrats are expected to rely on to survive these races is running against Trump, rather than with Biden. "Running with Biden is unsustainable," said GOP strategist John Feehery.
"They will say that the best way to preserve democracy is to act as a check on Trump's power," he predicted.
