Ohio Democrats skip Biden event as his polls sink toward historic low for first-term president

Ohio Democratic nominees for senate and governor, Rep. Tim Ryan and Nan Whaley, respectively, steered clear of the president's event in Cleveland on Wednesday.
Biden
By Nicholas Ballasy

With President Biden's approval rating sinking to a new low, Ohio Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates skipped an event headlined by the president in Cleveland on Wednesday.

According to the White House, Biden joined union workers and retirees and delivered remarks "announcing the final rule implementing the American Rescue Plan's Special Financial Assistance program." The legislation applied billions of dollars to struggling "multi-employer pension plans."

President Biden's approval rating has dropped to 38.6%, according to FiveThirtyEight.

A new Monmouth University poll found that nearly 9 in 10 Americans say the country is headed on the wrong track. According to the Monmouth poll, Biden's approval rating is 36%.

Respondents were asked if the actions of the federal government over the past six months helped, hurt, or had no real impact on their top concerns. Most of those surveyed chose "hurt" as their response. 

A recent Harvard University poll found that Biden's poll numbers are lower than those of any first-term president since Harry Truman and that only 29% of the nation wants the president to run for reelection.

Democratic Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, a U.S. Senate candidate, and Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Nan Whaley ducked Biden's event in Cleveland on Wednesday.

"Ryan is refusing to be seen in public with his own party's president," said author J.D. Vance, the Trump-endorsed GOP nominee running against Ryan in the Midwestern swing state.

A spokesperson for Ryan said he missed Biden's event due to "a full day of previously scheduled campaign events along the Ohio River," according to the Washington Times.

Biden has yet to directly address the Democratic candidates' decision not to appear at the event.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is another Democratic candidate running for reelection in what's expected to be a tight race. Just the News asked Kelly on Thursday if he's concerned about Biden's low approval rating affecting the midterms. The purple state lawmaker did not respond.