Why some Democrats running in red states are pushing away Biden, Harris
The path to victory for some may mean not seeking prominent Dems' endorsements.
With less than 70 days until the midterm election, some Democrats running in the most conservative areas are sending a clear message to former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris: stay out of their races.
In Iowa, Democratic Senate nominee state Rep. Josh Turek -- who has welcomed the support of former President Barack Obama and has twice won a seat in a district that voted for President Donald Trump -- was asked if Harris should campaign for him. He simply said "No."
Also in Iowa, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Politico "no thanks" to the idea of Biden or Harris campaigning for him. He also said Harris should not run for president in 2028, arguing the country needs "new leadership."
Alaska Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola recently distanced herself from Harris after her political action committee backed Peltola in a fundraising email.
"Mary isn't seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48 -- her focus is and always will be Alaska," Peltola's campaign told The New York Times.
The blunt rejections, coming within days of each other in two states Trump carried by double digits in 2024, underscore a reality for Democrats: candidates fighting for independent and moderate Republican voters increasingly see the party's brand and most recent presidential ticket as a liability.
The Senate races are particularly vital to Democrats, who are looking take control in the chamber where the GOP has a slim majority.
Putting 2024 in the rearview
Democratic strategist James Carville told ABC News that the Democratic Party is "just ready to move on from 2024" as "everybody’s scarred by it." He added that this phenomenon is not necessarily new, saying that "no Republicans" were looking for Mitt Romney's support in 2014 -- two years after Romney lost the 2012 election to Obama.
Carville added that Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis could be a limiting factor for his campaigning, and that "Democrats like Harris fine. They just don't find her particularly inspirational."
After the start of the Iraq War, when President George W. Bush's favorability ratings were down, he stuck to events with minimal press coverage in areas that were Republican strongholds, according to news reports at the time during the 2005-2006 midterm cycle.
During the run-up to the 2008 election, he barely appeared alongside John McCain, mostly holding private fundraisers out of the public eye.
Ashley Etienne, Harris' former communications director, said voters are disillusioned with the political establishment as "the Democratic Party's brand is in the tank."
Democratic strategist Matt Corridoni of the political organization, The Bench, which backs Peltola and Turek, said the candidates are signaling a break from the status quo.
"It doesn’t really make sense to have someone who was our nominee last cycle be on the trail for you," Corridoni said. "That represents the past. It represents partisan institutions."
A longtime Democratic donor who raised money for Harris' 2020 presidential campaign and asked not to be identified told ABC News, "Kamala showing up in Pennsylvania -- or Alaska, or Iowa -- she's not going to get the same enthusiasm as when she walks into South Carolina or New York City."
The donor added that Democrats need middle America appeal, "and you don't get the middle with Kamala."
The Harris team declined to comment on the recent remarks by Sand, Turek and Peltola. ABC News reached out to Biden's team for comment, but didn't hear back by the time of publication.
The political calculus varies by district
Some say it all depends on the voters a candidate is trying to reach.
"Somebody like Mary Peltola who has a very good chance of flipping the Alaska Senate seat has to be very careful and strategic … that means ensuring she’s not bringing surrogates into the state or using their voices online in ways that could potentially turn off some of her very persuadable voters," said Adrienne Elrod, who served as Harris' senior adviser and spokesperson in 2024.
"There are some places where [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] is in demand, and there are some places where she's not. A lot of it just depends on the makeup of the target demographic that you're going for," Elrod added.
Some Democrats have actively sought Biden and Harris' support.
Former Biden White House aide Dan Koh, who is running to replace Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts, told ABC News he asked Biden and Harris to endorse him. He said voters have told him they would vote for him because he has been backed by Biden.
"I've seen their integrity firsthand … I do not believe in running away from people that I believe in, that I've worked with," Koh said. "And I'm fortunate that the electorate has agreed."
Chris Jones, who's running to replace Republican incumbent French Hill in Arkansas, recently received Harris' endorsement, along with the support of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Asked whether Harris' backing is helpful in his red district and about Sand and Turek's remarks, Jones told ABC News, "campaigning is hard … every candidate is different, every constituency is different, and every moment is different."
Implications for 2028
The Harris donor said that if Turek, Sand or Peltola win in November, it could encourage other potential 2028 presidential contenders to further distance themselves from Harris and move more toward the center.
Red and purple state Democrats such as Beshear, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Buttigieg of Indiana -- all potential 2028 presidential contenders -- have recently campaigned in Iowa, showing an effort to reach voters well beyond the Democratic base. Beshear has campaigned for Sand; Kelly has campaigned for Turek and Buttigieg has campaigned for both Turek and Sand.
"If any one of them win," the donor said of Turek, Sand and Peltola, "you will see the [Pennsylvania Gov. Josh] Shapiros and the Beshears … maybe you'll have a Mark Kelly who will even move a little bit more center where they're going to say, 'look, we can't win this election by just winning blue states, we need to win purple states.'"
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