Wisconsin governor tepid about Biden campaign event

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor won’t be rude, but he’s also not rolling out the red carpet for President Joe Biden at an upcoming Labor Day campaign event.

Gov. Tony Evers didn’t sound excited at all Monday when asked about the president’s upcoming visit to Wisconsin.

“He’s the President of the United States. We have a good relationship, and I’m looking forward to it,” Evers said. “As for the value of campaigning with the president or not, I’ll let the people of Wisconsin figure that out.”

The White House announced Monday that Biden will stop in Milwaukee on Labor Day as part of a campaign swing that will also take him to Pennsylvania. He is not very popular in the Badger state.

The latest Marquette Law School Poll gives the president just a 40% job approval rating. The poll says 55% of Wisconsin voters don’t approve of the job he’s doing.

Inflation is a big reason. The Marquette poll says inflation is the No. 1 worry among voters heading into November's mid-terms.

Evers is locked in a tight race with Republican Tim Michels. The poll gives Evers just a two point lead, 45-43, which is within the poll’s margin of error.

“If they say ‘Evers we want you there,’ that’s fine,” the governor said.

He's not alone among Democrats shying away.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, on Monday issued a statement through his campaign website about the upcoming Labor Day event. Biden was not mentioned.

“The Lt. Governor is excited to participate in Laborfest events throughout Milwaukee, Madison and Racine. His priority is talking to Wisconsin voters and supporting the labor movement that gave his family a ticket to the middle class," the statement read.

Republicans in Wisconsin pounced on Monday’s lack of support for the president from the Democrats’ top candidates.

Michels, the Republican candidate for governor, said the president and the governor should be on stage together to explain their policies to the people of Wisconsin.

“From gas prices to food at the grocery store, everything is costing more because of Joe Biden and Tony Evers’ failures. Looking forward to hearing Biden explain why he's trying to further drive up costs while forcing blue collar workers to pay for everyone else's college degrees,” Michels said on Twitter.