Andrew Bates Joins Ruben Gallego's Staff After Jill Biden Clash Over 2024 Debate
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 12
Andrew Bates Joins Ruben Gallego's Staff After Jill Biden Clash Over 2024 Debate
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 12
Summary
Andrew Bates, a former Biden White House spokesman, has resurfaced after joining Sen. Ruben Gallego's communications team and publicly criticizing Jill Biden for reopening debate over Joe Biden's 2024 campaign collapse.
Jill Biden fired back on her book tour after Bates said "we had a duty to win and we didn’t" and questioned why the party's painful 2024 debate fallout needed to be aired again.
Gallego's office said Bates was hired in late April to help as the Arizona senator weighs options for his political future and works to help Democrats retake the Senate in 2026.
The hire and spat triggered sharp reactions across Democratic and conservative circles, with some former Biden aides defending Bates's loyalty and critics casting him as a political fixer tied to Biden's fitness messaging.
Bates had become a prominent defender of Biden after the June 2024 debate, including viral posts dismissing concerns shortly before Biden dropped out of the race.