Top Pa. Democrats to miss Biden visit today
They cite scheduling conflicts
HARRISBURG» President Joe Biden will appear in Pittsburgh today as an opening step in a broader campaign to promote the White House’s achievements in key states before the midterm elections.
But two of the three leading Democrats on Pennsylvania’s statewide ballot this spring who were invited to appear with Biden will not attend, their campaigns confirmed on the eve of the president’s visit.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a leading Senate candidate, and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee in the race for governor, will be absent because of scheduling conflicts, according to their spokespeople. Another top Senate candidate, Rep. Conor Lamb, a longtime Biden supporter based in Pittsburgh, will attend, his office confirmed. All three had been invited to participate in a photo line with the president.
The high-profile absences come as Democrats in other states have begun taking modest steps to distance themselves from the firstterm president, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply in recent months. And while Fetterman and Shapiro indicated that politics had no bearing on their schedules, their decisions to avoid Biden, particularly in his home state, could fuel further questions among anxious Democratic candidates elsewhere as they decide whether to embrace the struggling president.
“Josh Shapiro is running to be the governor of Pennsylvania, and he’s focused on the issues that matter to Pennsylvania families,” Shapiro spokesman Will Simons said.
Shapiro made three appearances with Biden last summer and fall when the president’s numbers were better. But the gubernatorial hopeful has a scheduling conflict this time, Simons said, without detailing the conflict.
“Like every American should, Josh wants our president to be successful, and we’ll continue welcoming President Biden to his home state of Pennsylvania,” Simons said.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said he’s not surprised that some Democratic candidates might want to distance themselves from Biden, but he said those who do so are “stupid.”
“They’re stupid because things can turn around in politics pretty dramatically,” Rendell said. “You can’t hide. People end up thinking less of you for not showing up.”
Fetterman, the outspoken lieutenant governor whose campaign headquarters is based in Pittsburgh, said he’ll miss Biden’s visit in that city to attend the Democratic state committee, which begins this evening 200 miles to the east in Harrisburg.
“It’s great that President Biden is coming to Pittsburgh to talk about infrastructure,” Fetterman said. “It’s great to come to the city that helped build America to talk about rebuilding America.” But he said he’ll be at the Harrisburg meeting to talk to Democrats about the midterms.
Lamb, meanwhile, one of Fetterman’s chief primary opponents in the state’s marquis Senate contest, is eager to hear Biden’s remarks on his sweeping infrastructure bill in person.
“President Biden first announced his infrastructure plan in Pittsburgh, and Conor looks forward to welcoming him back and talking about all the good jobs that bill will create in the Pittsburgh area and all over Pennsylvania,” said Lamb campaign manger Abby Nassif Murphy.
Malcolm Kenyatta, another prominent Democratic Senate contender, was not invited to Biden’s appearance because he represents a different part of the state in the Legislature. But he heaped praise on the president when given the opportunity.