Democratic leaders have stepped up their efforts to mobilize support, changing their messaging days ahead of the crucial election that will decide the fate of Biden’s legislative agenda for the next two years. Biden’s Democrats have tried to sway voters on kitchen issues such as four-decade high inflation. Also playing against the party is Biden’s unpopularity, which had kept him from campaigning in some swing states. Only 40 percent of Americans approve of his job performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that ended Tuesday. For Democrats, Sunday’s rallies in traditionally party-friendly areas are a last-minute chance to minimize losses on Tuesday. Biden will appear in Westchester County, usually a safe Democratic area but where Republicans are threatening to make gains, thanks in part to relentless messaging that paints their opponents as soft on crime and inflation. The president is flying to New York to support Gov. Kathy Hotchul, who faces an unexpectedly strong Republican challenge. The US president joined forces with Democratic superstar Barack Obama in the key state of Pennsylvania a day earlier, campaigning alongside Senate hopeful John Fetterman and gubernatorial hopeful Josh Shapiro. Speaking to thousands in a Philadelphia arena, Biden cited Trump supporters’ growing belief in conspiracy theories to highlight what’s at stake. “Democracy is literally on the ballot. This is a defining moment for the nation,” Biden warned as he tried to push his party across the finish line.
“Democrats changed messages”
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, writing from Washington, said Democrats changed their messaging on the campaign trail last week after what they emphasized failed to resonate with voters, who were focused on the state of the nation’s economy. “For so long, Joe Biden talked about the threat to democracy, but that didn’t resonate with voters,” he said, adding that voters are more responsive to economic issues. “So he started talking more about the economy and how he thinks it’s helped the middle class in America,” Fisher said. Change comes late in the game. Nearly 40 million Americans have already voted in early voting. Republicans are confident of victories on Tuesday, but Democrats have pushed back on the narrative of an inevitable Republican takeover of Congress. “We’re going to keep that majority,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is leading the Democratic congressional campaign, told NBC’s Meet the Press program. Maloney, who is facing a tight race himself, described the election as “razor close” and implicitly questioned Republicans’ commitment to democracy. “We have all kinds of things we can do better, but we are responsible adults who believe in this democracy,” Maloney told fellow Democrats.
Rising Republicans
Republicans on Sunday vowed to deliver a “wake-up call” to Biden and retake Congress. The latest polls put Democrats on the defensive, with Sen. Rick Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, summing up the mood in his party by predicting “a great night” in both chambers of Congress. Federalist Republican Glenn Youngkin, governor of Virginia, told ABC News’ This Week that his camp was the one that “offered common sense solutions” to pressing issues like high inflation and crime. “This will be a wake-up call to President Biden,” Youngin said. Republican Trump has doubled down on conspiracy theories as he spoke at a rally on Saturday to boost Fetterman’s opponent, celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz. In a strange speech, Trump defended his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, urged Americans to “vote Republican in a huge red wave” and teased a possible run for the White House in 2024. “I promise you in the next, very, very, very short time, you’re going to be so happy,” Trump told his supporters. Trump will appear in Miami alongside the state’s two US senators and several US representatives. Florida has for years swung from party to party, but has recently become Republican-leaning and is not considered a major battleground this election. Trump’s frequent rallies keep his profile high as he looks to launch a third run for the White House after the midterm elections, his advisers said. Florida could be a battleground in any nominating contest because its Republican governor, Ron DeSandis, is seen by strategists as a formidable contender for the GOP nomination if he throws his hat in the ring. Trump’s support is credited with helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018, but the two men are now rivals. That made DeSantis a target of Trump, who called the governor “Ron DeSanctimonious” on Saturday night.
