At least nine Democrats who served in the Biden administration are now running for Congress or governor, but campaign materials across the country reveal a striking pattern as the former president who elevated their careers is largely absent from their messaging.
Campaign websites, launch videos, and promotional content from multiple Biden-era officials omit his name, image, and direct references to their service under his administration.
The coordinated silence, first highlighted in reporting from Axios, reflects a broader political reality as Democratic candidates attempt to navigate the electoral fallout of Biden’s presidency.
These are not minor staffers quietly updating résumés.
The list includes ambassadors, cabinet secretaries, and senior White House officials, figures whose most prominent public roles came directly from Biden, yet whose campaigns now minimize or obscure that connection.
High-Profile Democrats Downplay Biden Ties
Bridget Brink, Biden’s ambassador to Ukraine and now a candidate for a Republican-held House seat in Michigan, described serving “under five presidents, both Democrat and Republican” in her launch video.
While imagery highlighted former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Biden, who appointed her ambassador, was not referenced.
Michael Roth, who served as interim head of the Small Business Administration, described himself online as trusted by “senators, governors, mayors, and a president.”
However, Roth stopped short of naming which president.
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s gubernatorial campaign in New Mexico references her cabinet tenure only as service “for the past four years,” omitting Biden entirely while highlighting legislation signed by President Donald Trump during her time in Congress.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra likewise launched a California gubernatorial campaign without featuring Biden in early campaign materials.
Doug Jones, who assisted Biden’s Supreme Court nomination effort for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, also left Biden out of initial messaging for his Alabama governor’s race.
A national Democratic Party strategist explained the political calculation bluntly:
“Joe Biden’s lingering unpopularity is proving to be a serious drag on Biden alums running in swing districts across the country.
“They’re unable to talk about their most recent and often most high-profile job experience without alienating general election voters.”
Stark Contrast with Obama Era
The distancing marks a sharp reversal from recent Democrat history.
During the 2018 midterms, Democrat candidates actively highlighted ties to Obama, and Biden himself was widely embraced as a campaign surrogate.
Now, candidates who built their national reputations inside the Biden administration are largely avoiding public association with that record.
It’s an electoral shift that underscores the former president’s diminished political standing.
Ryan Vetticad, a former Justice Department presidential management fellow running for Congress in Illinois, signaled the break when asked about excluding Biden from campaign materials.
“It’s not the priority for me,” he said.
“There’s a lot of things that Democrats did wrong in the 2024 cycle, so I want to chart a new way forward.”
Limited Exceptions in Safe Districts
One of the few candidates openly highlighting Biden-era service is Christian Urrutia, a New Hampshire congressional candidate whose district is considered safely Democrat.
His campaign promotes his Pentagon work under Biden, arguing voters value authenticity, an approach far less risky outside competitive swing territory.
The divide suggests Biden’s political liability is most acute where general-election voters decide outcomes, forcing Democrat candidates in contested races to separate themselves from the administration’s legacy.
Implications Beyond the Midterms
The distancing carries broader consequences for the Democratic Party’s future leadership.
Potential 2028 presidential contenders, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, must contend with the same political headwinds now reshaping down-ballot campaigns.
Republicans have already moved to capitalize.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), for example, publicly linked Democrat challenger Cait Conley to Biden-era national-security decisions, highlighting her role on the National Security Council during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
A Presidency Democrats Won’t Defend
As campaigns unfold, a defining reality has emerged as Democrat candidates are not running on Biden’s record.
Instead, many are working to ensure voters barely notice the connection at all.
Websites can be edited and launch videos carefully scripted, but the broader political signal is unmistakable.
When a party’s own candidates avoid invoking their most recent president, the silence itself becomes a verdict on the administration they would rather leave behind.
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