Michigan Dem candidate won’t say if he supports Biden, changes subject to ice cream

Less than a week after bailing on President Biden’s Detroit rally, Democratic congressional candidate Curtis Hertel Jr. refused to answer when asked at a Lansing campaign event if he wanted “Biden to campaign on his behalf,” then turned the conversation towards ice cream.

“If any president came to this district and wanted to have a conversation, we would be more than happy to have it. Look forward to seeing him and getting a Tasty Twist down the street,” Hertel told Lansing newspaper City Pulse Wednesday.

The duck from the Democrat frontrunner in the race for Michigan’s 7th District comes at a time of mass confusion in the Democrat party about the path forward with Biden.

And since the debate, Michigan Democrats’ enthusiasm for Biden is trailing well behind their enthusiasm for Tasty Twist soft-serve.

In Michigan, there’s a growing divide between President Biden and candidates down ballot. Politico reported Thursday that Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Wis.), who called for Biden to step down, was initially excluded from coordinated campaign efforts with the Biden campaign.

Hertel’s spokesman tried to clear the air with the publication, telling Politco: “The answer he gave was not to, for or against Biden. The answer was in the spirit of bipartisanship.”

The fact that Hertel will not say whether he is for or against Biden reflects the lack of confidence shown by several Michigan Democrats in recent weeks. Hertel’s race against Republican Tom Barrett is among the most hotly contested in the nation.

It’s possible that Michigan Democratic candidates such as Curtis Hertel, Elissa Slotkin and Hillary Scholten are simply cutting their losses and distancing themselves from a top-of-the-ticket candidate who they have no confidence in.

Last Friday, most of the top Michigan Democrats were absent from Biden’s Detroit rally, with not a single candidate up for election present. Leading state Democrats such as Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Attorney General Dana Nessel have also implied recently that Biden should drop out.

This follows a national trend within the party, as Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have joined dozens of party members and celebrities expressing concerns about Biden’s candidacy.

Hertel Jr.’s statements are useful for gauging his party’s attitude toward Joe Biden.

He’s obscure enough that his refusal to endorse Joe Biden serves to highlight the fears of other lesser-known Democrats down the ballot. At the same time, he is running in a crucial race that could make or break Democrats, and is a well-connected pol whose family business is Michigan politics.

If Hertel and other prominent Democrats are afraid to utter “the B word” – aka Biden – it’s spelling trouble for Democrats across the country this November.