WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� This year鈥檚 midterm elections are playing out as a strange continuation of the last presidential race 鈥� and a potential preview of the next one.
Donald Trump, who refused to exit the stage after his defeat and continues to rally his supporters with lies about voter fraud, has spent months raging against Joe Biden, reshaping down-ballot campaigns that normally function as a straightforward referendum on the incumbent president.
The result is an episode of political shadowboxing with little precedent, as the current president and his immediate predecessor 鈥� and possible future challenger 鈥� crisscross the country in support of their party鈥檚 candidates.
Even as he faces , including a criminal probe into the handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump has been in battleground states, where he alternates between touting his handpicked candidates and denouncing his enemies. He belittles and excoriates Biden while lying, as he did in Ohio last month, that 鈥渨e didn't lose鈥� the last election.
Biden has so far steered clear of some of the tightest midterm races, instead where he draws contrasts between Democratic and Republican He often avoids direct references to 鈥渢he last guy,鈥� but on Saturday in Oregon, Biden warned that 鈥淭rump controls the Republican Party.鈥�
Sometimes the two men travel to the same places, such as when they visited Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, within days of each other, a reflection of the narrow political map that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 remarkably unusual,鈥� said Jeffrey Engel, founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, who strained to think of any comparison in previous election cycles.
鈥淲ithout exception, since the Great Depression鈥� 鈥� Republican Herbert Hoover tried to plot a path back to power despite losing to Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 鈥� 鈥渨e have not had a former president who believed they still had a viable political career ahead of them,鈥� he said.
Neither Trump nor Biden has formally announced they will run again. Trump has come close to declaring his candidacy, and Biden has said he intends to seek a second term.
If they face off again, the competition between them could become one of the longest and impactful political duels in American history, spanning several years and multiple elections.
Voters seem to have little appetite for a rematch.
shows only about 3 in 10 Americans want either Biden or Trump to run for president in two years. Just 5 in 10 Democrats want Biden to seek a second term, while 6 out of 10 Republicans hope to see Trump seek the presidency again.
Engel said another battle between Biden and Trump would likely prove dispiriting.
鈥淲hat that fundamentally means is our country is not moving forward,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have not met anybody who relishes that campaign.鈥�
However, it's clear that both men see their fortunes tied to the other.
When CNN鈥檚 Jake Tapper asked Biden whether he鈥檚 the only one who could fend off his predecessor in another campaign, the president sidestepped the question but expressed confidence about his chances.
鈥淚 believe I can beat Donald Trump again,鈥� he said.
Trump would take issue with the use of the word 鈥渁gain鈥� 鈥� he continues to spread the lie that Biden only took office through voter fraud.
It鈥檚 an integral part of Trump's political message, and he never fails to bring it up at rallies for Republican candidates who have endorsed his false views on the last election. Sometimes the rhetoric dives even deeper into conspiracies, a reminder that another campaign could represent an even sharper break with reality.
In Arizona, during his most recent rally, Trump darkly suggested that Biden is surrounded by 鈥渧icious, very smart people鈥� who are 鈥減ulling strings.鈥�
鈥淣o one thought this could happen in our country, and it all happened because of a rigged and stolen election,鈥� he said.
The former president has also , which portrays Trump as battling sinister, hidden forces.
Using his Truth Social platform, Trump shared an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words 鈥淭he Storm is Coming," referencing his eventual victory over opponents who would be tried 鈥� or even executed 鈥� on live television.
People close to Trump have said they believe a strong performance by Republicans in November will further encourage Trump to run again in two years, as he has been openly teasing for months.
In addition to his rallies, which earn candidates local media attention and fire up the Republican base, Trump has been helping candidates in other ways, holding fundraisers and tele-rally calls on their behalf. Most significantly, last week, his new super PAC, MAGA Inc., for ads in key states attacking the opponents of his favored candidates.
The first round of ads from the group notably do not feature Trump or even mention his name. Republicans have expressed frustration that Trump was hoarding small-dollar donations for himself and refusing to help the candidates he had pushed voters to nominate, despite sitting on an enormous war chest.
But Mike DuHaime, a longtime Republican strategist, isn鈥檛 sure the outcome of the midterms will make a difference in Trump鈥檚 plans for the next presidential race.
鈥淗e鈥檒l take credit for every win and deflect blame for every loss,鈥� he said.
Trump has claimed, as he did in Pennsylvania last month, that the midterms are 鈥渁 referendum on the corruption and extremism of Joe Biden and the radical Democrat party.鈥�
But DuHaime said Trump has prevented that from happening by injecting himself into this year's races, providing a boost to Biden, whose poll numbers remain underwater as voters
鈥淭rump is no ordinary president, nor did he really seem to care about the party,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e seems to care about himself more than the party that put him in office.鈥�
Biden's circle has a similar view. An adviser, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations, said those around Biden see the midterms as having become more of a choice than a referendum. Trump's presence on the trail, the adviser said, is seen as helping make Democratic points for them.
Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster, said the only thing more helpful would be if Trump announced another presidential campaign.
鈥淗e鈥檚 getting dangerously close to that,鈥� she said.
Biden has deferred any announcement about his own candidacy until after Election Day, keeping his focus on the midterms.
Like other incumbent presidents in an election year, Biden has blended his political and governmental duties as voting begins.
He stopped in Colorado on Wednesday to of his administration, fulfilling the wishes of the state鈥檚 senior Democratic senator, Michael Bennet, who is seeking reelection this year. Although Bennet is favored to win, he's facing a concerted challenge from Joe O鈥橠ea, a Republican businessman.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the midterm elections at .
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This story has been corrected to show the Colorado senator鈥檚 surname is Bennet, not Bennett.
Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
