How are candidates in Kansas' 3rd District dealing with Trump, Biden? From a safe distance

President Joe Biden loitered around the House floor after his State of the Union address last month, chatting and taking selfies with Democratic lawmakers as he basked in the limelight.

Rep. Sharice Davids wasn’t one of them. The Kansas Democrat steered clear of the throng surrounding the president and left the chamber shortly after the speech. In a statement following the speech, she distanced herself from the leader of her party.

Davids offered the caveat that she, “did not agree with everything the President said,” before listing out some policies she agreed with — lowering costs for families, defending abortion rights and protecting democratic norms.

Davids’ State of Union statement could be read as a summary of her 2024 reelection playbook — focus on the policies, not the president.

The congresswoman swept into Washington amid the backlash to former President Donald Trump. She held onto her seat despite President Joe Biden’s steady unpopularity.

Now, as she seeks her fourth term representing Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, she’s avoiding the name Joe Biden and trying to convince voters to focus on the middle of the road persona she’s cultivated over the past six years.

She’s not alone. In the Republican primary for her seat, both of the candidates — Prasanth Reddy, a former executive at LabCorp, and Karen Crnkovich, the owner of an HVAC and plumbing contracting business — are trying to get voters to see them separately from the polarizing candidate at the top of the Republican ticket.

While both said they support the former president, they are not actively seeking an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

“He’s our candidate and I’m going to actively support him,” Crnkovich said. “But I’m focusing on the voters in Kansas. Every vote matters and every vote counts.”

Both Biden and Trump enter the 2024 presidential election disliked by more than half the country. About 55% of voters disapprove of Biden while about 53% view Trump unfavorably, according to polling averages compiled by the site Five Thirty Eight.

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