Some Democrats running for re-election or challenging Republican incumbents in next month's midterm elections have distanced themselves from President Barack Obama, but he said during an interview Monday that they have his full support — and he has theirs, too.
"This isn't about my feelings being hurt," Obama told the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC. "These are folks who are strong allies and supporters of me, and I tell them, 'you know what, you do what you need to do to win. I will be responsible for making sure that our voters turn out.'"
Story continues below video.
Obama said the Democrats in tightly-contested races are on his side.
"We've got a tough map. A lot of the states that are contested this time are states that I didn't win," Obama said. "And so some of the candidates there, it is difficult for them to have me in the state because the Republicans will use that to try to fan Republican turnout.
"The bottom line is, though, these are are all folks who vote with me; they have supported my agenda in Congress, they are on the right side of minimum wage, they are on the right side of fair pay, they are on the right side of rebuilding our infrastructure, they're on the right side of early childhood education."
Several Democrats in key races have
refused to reveal who they voted for in the past two presidential elections. Others are not seeking Obama's assistance in their races, with his
approval rating at 40 percent — the worst of his presidency.
Republicans need to capture six additional Senate seats to seize control of the chamber. There are 10 races that could swing either way or are leaning toward one party in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.
Most experts are predicting enough Republican victories on Nov. 4 for the party to win over control of the Senate.
Several polls have shown that Americans are unhappy with how Obama handled everything from the economy and race relations to the crisis in the Middle East and the Ebola scare.