While a bevy of recent polling is claiming that Democrats have closed the enthusiasm gap among their voters and that the party is beginning to show signs that it may hold both chambers of Congress, Democratic candidates don’t seem convinced.
Then again, they are up close and personal with voters and hear their concerns firsthand. This may explain why they don’t appear to be buying the new polling results, which includes an NBC News report claiming voters are more concerned about “threats to our democracy” than they are about putting food on the table amid 40-year high inflation and still sky-high gas prices, even if there has been some relief at the pumps.
Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman has released an ad blaming inflation on wealthy insiders and lobbyists in Washington, D.C.
“The truth is our economy is a mess because of Washington — the rich, the powerful, the insiders and the lobbyists. They’re lying about me to take the heat off themselves. It’s Washington’s fault. They set the rules, weakened our supply chain and spiked inflation.”
Of course, Fetterman doesn’t bother to explain that Democrats control DC lock, stock and barrel, having the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Fox News identified over a dozen political ads from across the country that show Democratic candidates campaigning “as being independent of their own party leaders, with some even highlighting how they opposed President Biden’s agenda.”
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., who votes with the Biden agenda 100%, released an ad last month in which he declares, “I stood up to some in my own party and pushed to cut the gas tax, and to hire more police officers.”
Despite Democratic officials largely embracing the “defund the police” movement following the death of George Floyd, now that crime is a major problem in many Democrat-run cities, they suddenly paint themselves as supportive of the same cops they demonized for months on end.
President Biden’s approval numbers remain dismal and threaten to drag Democrats down, and this is on top of recent history showing a first-term president’s party takes a beating in the midterm elections.
“I don’t know how to interpret that other than that’s how they’re hedging their bet that Biden’s numbers are not going to improve,” veteran GOP political advertiser John Brabender told Fox News, in reference to actions of Democratic candidates.
The liberal media has been hailing the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, a spending bill experts suggest will do little to stem rising costs, but Brabender doesn’t see Democrats talking about the legislation on the campaign trial unless economic prospects improve dramatically.
“The legislation only matters if people see immediate impact, and if they don’t people are going to say ‘what legislation?'” he said.
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, is another lawmaker making an effort to distance himself from Biden.
He billed himself as “an independent voice” in a recent ad, laying claim to being “the only Democrat to vote against trillions of dollars of President Biden’s agenda, because I knew it would make inflation worse.”
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., went so far as to tout that she has “worked with Republicans to cut billions in wasteful spending.”
U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., released an ad where she actually uses Donald Trump’s name to tout her independence: “She had five bills signed into law by Biden … and eight by Trump.”
Check out our new ad, “Bench,” featuring Mayor Frank Kuntz of Wenatchee and Mayor Mary Lou Pauly of Issaquah! “Kim Schrier is doing a great job, because Kim works with both parties… She had five bills signed into law by Biden, and eight by Trump.” pic.twitter.com/PS0u6hI0ZV
— Dr. Kim Schrier (@DrKimSchrier) August 3, 2022
The tighter the race or more balanced the district, the more stringent Democrats are in opposing the Biden administration agenda, as seen with U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.
In an ad released Friday, a narrator states: “Joe Biden is letting Ohio solar manufacturers be undercut by China, but Marcy Kaptur is fighting back.”
The narrator goes on to declare that Kaptur is not working for Biden, but is “working with Republican Rob Portman, protecting our jobs.”
Democratic strategist Ken Walling, a Fox News contributor, pointed out that come election time, duplicitous candidates often run against the mythical beast known as Washington — which, these lawmakers represent.
“In every election cycle, you’ll see many incumbent Democrats and Republicans running against Washington,” Walling said. “There’s a reason why Congress’ overall approval rating hovers around dentists and exterminators as a profession, while individual Members of Congress have higher individual approval ratings in-district.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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