It looks like Democrats do not want any help from former President Obama in the upcoming midterm elections this fall.
Some Dems saying "no thanks" to Obama's campaign help ahead of midterms https://t.co/YgcLWUqj1x pic.twitter.com/DkN1sqO4BG
— The Hill (@thehill) September 2, 2018
The senators in red states where incumbent Democrats are running for reelection don’t want the former president’s help. This includes Sen. Jon Tester in Montana and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota.
As Heitkamp put it:
Asked if she thought Obama might show up in North Dakota, Heitkamp said: “Nope, no.”
“He threatened to campaign against me once so I don’t think he’s coming out there,” she said.
Their reasoning actually makes sense, strategically https://t.co/DxgOjQ0ZhM
— Vincent Adultman (@ThaTrail) September 2, 2018
Obama was effective in helping his party when he was on the ballot, 2008 and 2012, but he was not able to move the needle during midterm elections. Some could argue that he even damaged the chances of certain Democrats in 2010 and 2014.
https://twitter.com/traciloveswords/status/1036275843578789888
Now that he is two years removed from office, it is understandable that red state Democrats would not want to take the risk of having him appear on the trail on their behalf.
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