Nine former Biden administration officials running for office this year are scrubbing Joe Biden from their own campaigns.
Story Snapshot
- Axios found at least nine 2026 Democratic candidates who served under Biden are keeping him out of campaign materials.
- Kamala Harris has spent months distancing herself from her old boss, even calling the 2024 re-election decision “recklessness.”
- Democrats remain split, with some strategists defending Biden and Harris while others openly warn the pair are a liability.
- History shows the president’s party usually loses House seats in midterms, which explains why Democrats are running scared.
Former Biden Officials Hide Their Own Résumés
Axios reported that at least nine former Biden administration officials running for Congress or governor this year are “deliberately keeping their distance” from the man they once served. These are not random Democrats. They worked inside Biden’s White House and cabinet, yet they now scrub his name from campaign mailers, websites, and ads. That is a remarkable admission from insiders who know exactly how the last administration performed.
Other outlets confirmed the pattern. A separate report found Democrats are avoiding mentions of Biden even while touting their White House experience on paper, a contradiction that shows how toxic the Biden brand has become inside his own party. Candidates want the résumé credit without the political baggage that comes attached to it.
Harris Distances Herself, But the Border Mess Still Follows
Kamala Harris has taken the same approach. She reportedly called leaving the 2024 re-election decision to Biden and his family “recklessness” in her own memoir, and she has been careful ever since taking over the nomination to separate herself from her former boss. Strategy memos from 2024 also urged her to break from Biden to win over moderate voters, memos she reportedly ignored.
Democratic candidates now face a similar bind on immigration. Politico reported that Democrats are stretched between a base demanding the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and swing voters who reject that idea outright, all while trying to distance themselves from the border policies of the Biden years that many Americans blame for the surge in illegal crossings. Voters remember who opened the border, no matter how the ads are worded now.
Not Every Democrat Agrees on the Retreat
The party is not unified behind ditching Biden and Harris. Former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison argued Democrats should have stuck with Biden and said he deserved their loyalty. Podcast host Jon Favreau took the opposite view, telling 2028 hopefuls to admit openly that Biden should never have run again. That split shows Democrats still cannot agree on who is to blame for their 2024 defeat.
Even Biden’s own inner circle has pushed back on the distancing strategy. Biden campaign insider Lindy Li said the party should not work around Harris but instead should “bolster her,” a position echoed by longtime Democratic Congressman James Clyburn, who said the party should support Harris “whether it’s in second place or at the top of the ticket.”
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Democrat Rob Sand finally said out loud what a lot of his own party has been too scared to admit. Kamala Harris should not run for president in 2028.
In a Politico interview, the state auditor and gubernatorial nominee answered with a flat “No” and… pic.twitter.com/pmNAKZ7kLn
— Iowa First Media (@IowaFirstMedia) August 26, 2026
The Washington Examiner noted Harris still holds real advantages, including a national fundraising network and a loyal base of supporters, even as other Democrats treat her as radioactive. That tension between the party’s grassroots donors and its worried candidates is not going away before November.
History Explains Why Democrats Are Nervous
The panic makes sense once you look at the numbers. Gallup’s historical data shows the president’s party has lost House seats in nearly every midterm since World War Two, and when a president’s approval sits below 50 percent, those losses average around 37 seats. Democrats know this pattern well, and they know Biden left office deeply unpopular after four years of runaway inflation, an open border, and failed energy policy.
That history is exactly why so many Democrats are trying to erase the last four years from their campaign materials. Conservative voters do not need to be reminded who presided over record illegal immigration, soaring grocery prices, and a chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. The candidates hiding Biden’s name know their own record cannot survive an honest retelling in front of American voters this fall.
Sources:
facebook.com, the-independent.com, abcnews.go.com, abcnews.com, news.gallup.com
