With Biden out, how will down-ballot races fare?
How could Biden's departure from 2024 presidential race impact down-ballot races?
FOX 5 is continuing to cover the ripple effects of President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Down ballots races are where a lot of the action is because the House and Senate members will ultimately be the ones who decide what gets sent to the president’s desk. So how could Biden’s decision impact some of those key matchups? FOX 5’s Lili Zheng has more.
WASHINGTON - Will down-ballot races be affected by President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 race?
Down-ballot races are where a lot of the action is – because House and Senate members will ultimately be the ones who decide what gets sent to the president’s desk.
FOX 5's Lili Zheng spoke with Professor Pete Loge, the director of the GWU School of Media and Public Affairs.
Loge says messaging in competitive races will likely remain similar. There may be a push to reinforce that a vote for them isn’t a vote for the president, no matter who is running.
"If you’re running in an area where Joe Biden isn’t popular, it helps to have Joe Biden no longer running. But President Biden is going to remain president of the United States. The last four years have been his policies and Vice President Harris, if she is the nominee, has been attached to those policies. You mix up your ads a bit, you see Biden/Harris, Harris/Biden. These are the Biden-Harris policies and you tie them to it," said Loge.
In terms of races in Maryland and Virginia, Loge says there’s no one race, from his perspective, that could be significantly impacted.
Bottom line according to Loge: The most successful races appear to be the ones that are less attached to the presidential race. Instead, they’re the ones that are more focused on what matters to voters locally.