Democratic strategists are hopeful that former President Barack Obama could lead the party ahead of the 2018 midterm elections next year, but some senators argue he needs to stand back and allow new leadership to take charge, according to a Monday report.

“Democrats badly need Barack Obama,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon told The Hill. “He offers such a vivid contrast to Trump in behavior and temperament … He always sounded reasonable and acted responsibly even if you disagreed with him. None of the potential Democratic presidential candidates have the visibility or credibility to be effective.”

Obama has already made several unprecedented attacks on President Donald Trump, waiting only two weeks into the new administration to attack Trump’s executive order that severely limited immigration from nations identified as potential sources of terror.

Republicans made significant gains at both the state and the federal level during Obama’s tenure in the White House. The former president’s crowning achievement was the Affordable Care Act, and Republicans nationwide organized and campaigned on repealing the wide-reaching law.

Although several strategists and staffers believe Obama would help the party, some Democratic politicians fear that, if he were to return to the national stage, the former president would overshadow those in the party currently vying for leadership status.

“Right now, we’re still trying to figure out who the next leaders of the party are. Until that’s more clear, Obama can’t be as prominent,” California Sen. Kamala Harris told The Hill.

Harris is one of the leaders vying for a larger voice in the creation of the party. Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Chuck Schumer also top the list, and Sen. Bernie Sanders still seeks a larger influence on determining the official platform of the Democratic Party.

Plenty of potential leaders move outside of the Senate as well. Former Vice President Joe Biden is considered a favorite to run in 2020, and Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Terry McAuliffe of Virginia are also in range of becoming potential Trump challengers.

“Obama has to remain in the shadows,” Harris concluded.

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