President Obama must confront one of the biggest issues in this year's congressional elections: President Obama himself.
The president wants his fellow Democrats to keep the Senate, would love to see them re-take the House, and has made it clear he's willing to help — but in some cases, the best thing he can do for Democratic candidates is to stay away.
If the Republicans have their way, Obama's record — particularly the health care law — will be front and center in the elections.
The GOP's major targets include seven Senate seats now held by Democrats in states that Obama lost in the 2012 election, and where his approval ratings in 2013 averaged 43% or less. And there are signs some Democrats are distancing themselves from Obama on issues such as the proposed Keystone oil pipeline and the economy in general.
"Every Democrat running this cycle has baggage of having supported Obama and his policies for years," said Kirsten Kukowski, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, citing health care in particular.
Democrats said that Obama can and will be an asset for Democrats in November, and that the health care law will be more popular by the time the elections roll around.
Supporters noted that the president can raise tons of money, and fundraisers will likely dot Obama's schedule throughout the year. Obama can also galvanize the coalition that helped elect him president in 2008 and 2012, including African Americans, Hispanics, single women and progressives, backers said.
"Nobody's got the ability to motivate the activist base and the donors more than the president," said Ben LaBolt, a former White House and Obama campaign spokesman.
LaBolt said Obama should be "deployed in a strategic way that drives up turnout of that coalition in key states," including those with Republican incumbents.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama "is going to assist Democrats in every way that he can."
The political challenges facing the sixth-year president figure to shadow the 2014 congressional elections and will likely affect the president's schedule. The White House and Democratic political organizations will have to decide when, where and how often Obama campaigns for Democratic candidates in the fall.
