Democratic candidates running in competitive races have been reluctant to associate too closely with President Joe Biden, out of concern he may tank their chances much like he’s tanked his own approval ratings.
One such Democrat, Sen. Mark Kelly, from Arizona, painfully made that all too obvious during a local one-on-one interview when he was asked if the president is doing a good job — the latest polling has Kelly up by just 2 points in his race.
“Hey, I th-, you know, I, uh, you know, I, it, first of all, it’s not my job to give him a report,” Kelly replied, fumbling and stumbling along the way.
The incumbent senator’s Republican opponent, Blake Masters, knows a golden opportunity when he sees one and shared the clip online.
“Look at Mark Kelly squirm when asked if Biden is doing a good job,” Masters tweeted, adding, “Senator: Biden’s record is YOUR record. Can’t hide from that now.”
Look at Mark Kelly squirm when asked if Biden is doing a good job.
“Hey, I th-, you know, I, uh, you know, I, it, first of all” 🥴
Senator: Biden’s record is YOUR record. Can’t hide from that now pic.twitter.com/spZa0ioEKU
— Blake Masters (@bgmasters) September 12, 2022
The media has been working hard to buoy Biden’s image ahead of the midterms, touting recent legislative wins and a short-lived, minor bump in his ratings, but Kelly has been giving the president the cold shoulder for a while now.
Last month on CNN, he offered a lukewarm endorsement of Biden coming to visit him on the campaign trail.
“I will welcome anybody that comes to Arizona, travel around the state at any time, as long as I’m here, if I’m not up in Washington in session, and talk about what Arizona needs,” Kelly said at the time.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
If Mark Kelly had an ounce of integrity he would have condemned Joe Biden’s annihilation of Arizona’s border—with strength, force and moral clarity. But he didn’t, because he has no integrity and because he’s the chief enabler of Biden’s open border vendetta against Arizona. https://t.co/jfwBv9VIZF
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) September 12, 2022
The answer is NO! He has done a horrible job and Kelly has been right since there with him!!
— CYNDI (@CYNDI_ROSE__) September 12, 2022
My neighbors 15 year old could have handled that better
— JoeSouthShore (@Richer5South) September 12, 2022
It is actually an honest Senator’s job to give a failing President a report card. Kelly fails.
— Recolonize History@Lone Star Protester (@ProtesterLone) September 12, 2022
On the bright side one of the few times he didn’t start a convo by declaring that he used to be an astronaut
— Decemberist (@CMartel732AD) September 13, 2022
Can’t seem to find the section on Kelly’s website articulating his political positions. Weird, right? pic.twitter.com/AddFJsDy2K
— MamaC (@WeAreAllPublius) September 12, 2022
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