Obama tells Dems seeking governorships: Don't blame me when you lose
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters earlier today that the president is not responsible for Democratic candidates losing in gubernatorial elections.
"The president was looking to be supportive of these Democratic candidates for governor," Earnest said, "But ultimately, it is these governors or these candidates whose record is on the ballot."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Ultimately, it's the quality of these candidates that is going to be the driver of success in this election," said Earnest. He added that those taking to the polls today aren't necessarily voting with Obama in mind, but rather, are "making a decision based on the merits associated with the candidates at the top of the ballot."
-
The Week’s big New Year’s Day quiz 2026Quiz of the Year How much do you remember about 2025’s headlines? Put yourself to the test with our bumper quiz of the year
-
Is tanking ruining sports?Today's Big Question The NBA and the NFL want teams to compete to win. What happens if they decide not to?
-
‘Netflix needs to not just swallow HBO but also emulate it’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
