Former President Joe Bidenâs health and failed reelection bid continues to dog Democrats as they look ahead to the 2026 midterms, and as former Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to release her book, â107 Daysâ on Sept. 23.
Harris wrote in her memoir that it was ârecklessnessâ to allow Biden and his wife, Jill, to make the sole decision to initially mount a reelection campaign, according to a recently released excerpt of the memoir. Several Democrats are âdreadingâ Harrisâ forthcoming book tour as it seems likely to spur further inescapable questions about Biden, the Washington Post reported.
Tommy Vietor, a former Obama aide and co-host of âPod Save Americaâ told the Post that although Democrats donât want to discuss Biden, they likely will not have a choice.
âThe overwhelming majority of elected Democrats are focused on moving forward. Thereâs no interest for them in re-litigating this and neither are the vast majority of voters,â Vietor said. âBut that kind of candor is going to be a prerequisite to be seen as credible. I think it will be important for the 2028 primary; people will be asked, âWhat did you know when?ââ
Ammar Moussa, a veteran of both Biden and Harrisâs campaigns, told the outlet the failed reelection bid eroded Democratsâ reputation with voters and will result in the partyâs politicians facing questions on Bidenâs initial decision to run again.
âThe Joe Biden age question really fundamentally broke Americaâs trust in the Democratic Party after years of them feeling that promises had been broken,â Moussa told the Post.
âI donât think itâs a top concern. I donât think voters are going to make their decisions for 2026 based on who said what about Joe Biden,â he added. âBut if youâre a politician running for office in 2026 and 2028 and you donât have a good answer on âShould Joe Biden have run in 2024â and come up with the same spin, voters are going to see through you.â
Multiple Democratic Party officials also said that Democrats have struggled to unify their messaging ahead of the midterms, according to the outlet.
Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs at liberal think tank Third Way, told the Post that the lack of a singular leader of the Democratic Party makes the partyâs attempt to win back the trust of voters an even more daunting task.
âAs time goes on, Biden and 2024 controversies will fade because we live in this overwhelming Trump era where itâs going to seem like ancient history to talk about, âWhere were you on Bidenâs age?ââ Bennett said.
The House Oversight Committeeâs current investigation into Bidenâs use of the autopen and mental decline may also be a cause of concern for Democrats hoping to win back electoral power. Bidenâs Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, was probed by the committee on Friday, marking one of the investigationsâ highest-profile depositions thus far.
Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the committee, said Jean-Pierre would be one of the last people brought in to speak with investigators due to their interest in the contents of her new book, âIndependent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines,â slated to release in October.
The Bidens and Kamala Harris did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundationâs requests for comment.
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