Democratic strategist Paul Begala said it was a “tragedy” that Biden ran for re-election and there had to be “accountability” for the party’s decisions ahead of the vote. But he did not think the debate around the former president’s health would be a factor in the 2026 midterm elections or the 2028 presidential race.

How was Joe Biden’s cancer not caught earlier?The news that the former president is battling an aggressive, stage-4 prostate cancer that has spread to the bone ignited a public debate about why a person with peerless access to medical care was diagnosed at such an advanced stage with a disease that is quite common in men his age.

Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s office pushed back on speculation that there had been a coverup around the illness.