As Democrats across the country activate for the final sprint to election day, one man is noticeably absent from the swing states and from the airwaves — the sitting commander in chief, President Biden. His light schedule for his own vice president’s national campaign is a stark departure from past campaign events. 

Compared to President Obama’s schedule for the 2016 race when he was stumping for Senator Clinton, Mr. Biden has stayed out of the limelight. By mid-October 2016, Mr. Obama had done half-a-dozen rallies for Mrs. Clinton in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, and other must-win states. He was also recording radio interviews for stations located in those very battleground states, urging people to get out to vote for his first secretary of state.