After spending more than a year in the political wilderness, former president Joe Biden and his family are suddenly everywhere again. Jill Biden has been touring the country to promote her book and rehash many of the arguments surrounding Joe’s decision to end his re-election bid. Hunter Biden recently joined Substack and X, his early posts making clear his desire to avenge his father by targeting political and media figures who questioned Joe’s fitness for the presidency.

The former president himself is also stepping back into the spotlight. Last Friday, he spoke at a dinner hosted by the South Dakota Democratic Party, focusing on his grievances with Donald Trump.

All this likely has many Democrats, eager to turn the page from the Biden era, gritting their teeth. With momentum heading into the midterms, why is the former party leader, who left office with an abysmal approval rating, making his public return now? However, there’s an argument to be made that the Bidens’ attempted comeback couldn’t have come at a better time for the Democrats. The ex-president’s return to public life gives younger Democrats a common target for criticism of the establishment.

Though Democrats are poised to do well in the midterms, the party still has a steep hill to climb to win both the House and Senate. The gerrymandering wars have made the House increasingly Republican-friendly; in the Senate, Democrats are expected to be competitive in only two races in states where either Harris won or Trump won by less than 10 points. This wouldn’t be enough to win a majority.

To give the party the best chance of recapturing one or both chambers of Congress, Democrats will need to reach voters who have soured on Trump but remain sceptical of the party. Though many Democrats still view Biden fondly, much of America does not. Inflation, crime, and immigration all rose under his tenure. Not only did those issues help decide the 2024 election, but recent polling suggests Democrats have not regained voters’ trust on these issues. If Biden’s return reminds them of all this, it could halt the party’s momentum.

But this moment also offers an opportunity for Democratic candidates running in swing states and districts to demonstrate some independence from the party. Indeed, some have already begun to do this. In Texas, James Talarico blamed Biden’s administration for listening to “the Groups” — paid Texas advocacy groups — that said enforcing border security was racist. Former administration officials running to unseat Republicans have also kept him at a distance.

It would be advantageous for more Democratic candidates to follow suit if Biden insists on making himself a presence in this year’s election. In fact, Harris’s refusal to explicitly break from Biden was ultimately a major factor in her loss. Now, the political cost to doing so is far lower — and it may be a prerequisite for some swing voters who want to know that Democrats have learned from Biden’s mistakes and are ready to turn the page.

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Michael Baharaeen is chief political analyst at The Liberal Patriot substack.

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