Biden claims credit for Democratic wins in Tuesday’s elections

President Joe Biden is celebrating his party’s election wins this week and claiming credit for some of the victories, including the Kentucky governor’s re-election.

In his first public remarks about Tuesday’s elections, Biden said at a campaign event Thursday night that his administration’s policies were resonating with voters.

“The Biden-Harris agenda has taken hold,” he said at a campaign fundraiser in Chicago. “People are winning elections on it over and over and over.”

Specifically, Biden touted the re-election of Gov. Andy Beshear, saying, “In Kentucky, a Democratic governor was re-elected after … running on programs that were all Biden initiatives.”

He also pointed to Democratic wins in Ohio, where voters passed a ballot initiative that enshrines abortion rights in the state’s constitution. And in doing so, Biden took aim at his potential opponent next November by saying, “The only reason abortion is banned in America is because of Donald Trump.”

Biden also highlighted victories in Pennsylvania, which included the expansion of a Democratic majority on the state’s Supreme Court and the election of Philadelphia’s first Black female mayor, as well as Virginia Democrats’ reclaiming control of the Legislature.

“Since I came off the sidelines to go toe to toe with Donald Trump, we haven’t stopped winning,” Biden said, after he cited the party’s performance in the midterm elections.

Although Biden credited his administration for this week’s Democratic victories, some of the biggest wins most likely have roots independent of the president.

Biden, for example, did not campaign for Beshear, whom he referred to as a “good friend” Thursday.

A Democratic strategist in Kentucky said this week that Beshear is a governor “who’s extremely well liked,” while a senior Democratic aide to a lawmaker in a swing state noted that while “it’s a win for Democrats, it’s not like the president’s name was on the ballot.”

An NBC News exit poll in Ohio this week showed strong Democratic turnout coupled with poor opinions of Biden — his approval rating among Ohio voters was 39%. Nearly three-quarters, 73%, said Biden should not seek re-election, compared with 63% who said Trump shouldn’t run, either.

In his remarks, Biden appeared to joke about recent polls that showed him trailing Trump in battleground states but said there are “10 other polls, and every one we are winning.”

A New York Times/Siena College poll released Sunday found Trump leading Biden in five of the six swing states that Biden won in 2020, prompting handwringing among Democrats over the weekend.

Biden’s remarks Thursday were not the first time he has boasted about this week’s election results. He was quick to highlight the party’s wins on election night.

“Across the country tonight, democracy won and MAGA lost,” Biden tweeted Tuesday. “Voters vote. Polls don’t. Now let’s go win next year.”