Former Biden administration officials seeking governorships in 2026 are promoting their White House experience while carefully distancing themselves from the political baggage surrounding former President Joe Biden.
The officials have all highlighted their service in the Biden administration but have rarely mentioned Joe Biden by name at campaign events, and none have aired campaign advertisements featuring the former president.
This balancing act comes as Biden’s post-presidential legacy faces renewed scrutiny following the release of the Democratic National Committee’s 2024 election “autopsy” and fresh questions about his health and decision-making during the final months of his reelection campaign.
For many Democrats, these concerns remain central to understanding the party’s 2024 defeat. In the months since the election, numerous Democratic strategists, donors, and elected officials have argued that Biden should have ended his reelection bid sooner, allowing voters to choose a nominee through a competitive primary rather than effectively rallying around then-Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden’s late withdrawal.
Others have suggested an open convention or extended nomination process might have produced a stronger general election candidate, though there remains little consensus on whether a different Democrat would have fared better against then-candidate Donald Trump.
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in New Mexico has been among Biden’s most outspoken defenders. She described the former president as “absolutely an asset” to her campaign and praised him as a “true partner” to New Mexico and Indigenous communities. Haaland also reiterated that “once all the dust settles, people are going to say that he was one of the best presidents we’ve ever had.”
Former White House official Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia similarly defended Biden, calling him a “great man” who “cares deeply about people” and stating she is “very proud of serving the Biden administration and very proud of what that administration delivered to this state.”
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in California has focused less on Biden personally while touting administration accomplishments such as Medicare expansion, lower prescription drug costs, and insulin price caps. His campaign argued that California voters are “electing the next governor based on who they are, not necessarily who they worked for or who they’re tied to.”
Democrat strategist Joshua Marcus-Blank noted that all three candidates have “very deep records in their own states that they have been running on,” suggesting their political identities extend beyond their service in the Biden administration.
The situation underscores the complicated place Biden occupies in Democratic politics. While many Democrats continue to credit him with major legislative achievements and defeating Trump in 2020, the debate over whether he stayed in the 2024 race too long continues to shape discussions about the party’s future.
Today, Democrat voters appear more focused on candidates who can “stand up and fight Trump” than on relitigating the accomplishments or shortcomings of the Biden years.
