Chair of Congressional Black Caucus Snubs Biden

The chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, an Ohio Democrat, skipped out on President Joe Biden’s speech in Cleveland on Wednesday.

As part of his attempt to regain the support of rust belt voters, Biden spoke at a union training center in Cleveland, Ohio. He was greeted by several prominent Ohio Democrats, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Rep. Shontel Brown, and Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb, according to the White House. Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic Senate nominee who faces an uphill battle in November, did not attend.

But Rep. Joyce Beatty (D., Ohio) was also absent from the names provided, raising questions about Biden’s standing within the black community. Beatty, who has tried to push Biden to the left on issues related to immigration and student debt relief, was one of only two Democratic House members from Ohio who did not attend.