There was nothing Barack Obama loved more than talking to cheering crowds. He constantly worked the fundraising and campaign circuit all of his years in office, and now that the first major midterm election is upon us, the reports are in that Obama is getting ready to campaign once more.

In the next few weeks, Obama will reportedly be in California, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He’s also going to be the headliner at a fundraiser in New York City for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by Eric Holder. All very friendly environments for him.

Only, it seems that Democrats in states that went red for Trump are taking a pass on getting the former president’s help.

Others, such as Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), want to keep the race locked on the battle between themselves and their state rivals, fearing a high-profile surrogate like Obama could distract from the strategy.

“We’re not going to use any surrogates. Surrogates are fine but we don’t need them. The race is myself and Matt Rosendale and that’s the way we want to keep it,” Tester told The Hill, referring to his GOP challenger.

Asked if she thought Obama might show up in North Dakota, Heitkamp said: “Nope, no.”

“He threatened to campaign against me once so I don’t think he’s coming out there,” she said.

While the former president remains extremely popular with the Democratic base, especially among African-American voters, Democrats fear his entrance into some battleground states could inadvertently rev up conservatives and pro-Trump voters.

Obama hasn’t exactly made a secret of how he feels about Donald Trump, even if he doesn’t mention his successor’s name.

And those Democrats in red states that want to hold on to their seats are probably making a wise, politically calculated move.

Their reasoning actually makes sense, strategically https://t.co/DxgOjQ0ZhM

— Vincent Adultman (@ThaTrail) September 2, 2018

It’s undeniable that Obama left the Democratic party substantially weaker than when he first ran. Even though he attended fundraiser after campaign rally, Obama simply didn’t have coattails long enough for many people to ride. In general terms, Obama was elected twice because of who he was, not what he or the Democratic party stood for. In 2008, he was a mostly blank slate with nothing but “Hope and Change” written on it. His personal charisma got him through scandal that should have taken him out. And now that he is no longer on the ballot, he’s of little to no help politically except to the Democrat faithful who just want King Daddy Barack to take them back.

Senators Tester, Heitkamp, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia are in very tight races in states that all went for Trump in 2016. Both Tester and Heitkamp’s races are listed as “toss ups” by RealClearPolitics, while Manchin has a slight edge in his state. Midterms are often referendums on the current administration, but not always. Will Trump’s negatives be enough to push these Democrat incumbents to victory? Not if Barack Obama starts reminding people how we got Trump in the first place.

Featured image: Barack Obama at the 2015 State of the Union speech (photo via Pixabay)