Republicans grapple with next steps as Democrats replace Biden

By means of Kellen Browning, Simon J. Levien And Chris Cameron, Report from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

As Sam Brown, a Republican and Army veteran, campaigns for a Nevada U.S. Senate seat against Sen. Jacky Rosen, he has deployed a powerful weapon against his Democratic foe: President Biden’s unpopularity among the state’s voters.

Mr. Brown and his campaign have linked Ms. Rosen to Mr. Biden and his policies in every possible way, criticizing her support for him on the campaign trail and online, and even occasionally calling her “Jacky Biden.”

With Biden’s future at the top of the Democratic ticket uncertain, Republicans like Brown, who are campaigning in competitive lower-level races that could determine control of Congress, are considering whether to adjust their message to account for another Democratic presidential candidate — whether that’s Vice President Kamala Harris or another challenger.

“It certainly changes things; changing a potential presidential candidate for November, that’s going to do something,” Mr. Brown said in an interview. “But at the end of the day, Jacky Rosen has her own record that she has to answer for.”

Republicans saw Mr. Biden as an easy target, even before renewed questions about his age and mental acuity that arose after his disastrous June debate performance. Many voters already saw him as too old for a second term, and Republicans criticized him for his handling of the border and tried to link him to skyrocketing inflation and gas prices.

The group of Republicans challenging the Democratic senators were eager to repeat a statistic: the percentage of time, often close to 100, that their opponent voted in favor of Biden’s legislative priorities.

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