Party planners came to Virginia in the days following the Democrat Party’s defeat in the gubernatorial race. These planners arrived to find out what went so wrong and to gauge how awful the nationwide picture might be during the next election.
It’s Looking Worse Than Democrats Thought
What they found, mostly through focus group discussions and polls, was far worse than Democrats anticipated. The issues go far beyond the shortcomings of their gubernatorial contender, Terry McAuliffe.
The issues also transcend President Biden’s dwindling approval ratings. The Democrat Party’s entire reputation was in shambles.
Psaki says Biden intends to run in 2024 despite plummeting poll numbershttps://t.co/DvJpKFTy1r
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 23, 2021
As per the survey, most of the respondents in Third Way interacted with suburban Virginia focus groups. It turns out these groups “could not explain what Democrats stood for.”
They also couldn’t say what Democrats are up to in Washington, except fighting. Remember, those were simply the folks who supported Biden in the election.
The Democrat Party is facing an identity crisis less than a year before the midterm elections. In the midterms, Democrats are expected to lose the House and probably the Senate, too.
It’s not only Biden’s plummeting public support ratings, inflation, or the historical trend of the ruling party losing seats during a president’s first midterm election.
Despite the passage of important measures (like a $1.9 trillion coronavirus assistance bill earlier this year and an infrastructure project last week), many Americans are unsure what Democrats do nowadays.
Virginia’s Gubernatorial Election was the Perfect Bellweather
The results in Virginia are consistent with recent formal and informal polling around the country. Per the FiveThirtyEight latest poll, Biden’s approval rating has dropped below 43%.
This is a metric directly linked to a party’s midterm election results. 43% is a lot worst than what Barack Obama’s approval rating was at this stage in his presidency. That was just before Democrats were wiped out during the 2010 midterm elections.
Democrats are in a panic… https://t.co/M4d2nyf7yL
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 22, 2021
Generic ballot testing, which matches unknown conservative politicians against nameless Democrats, is likewise trending in favor of the GOP. More than six out of ten Americans believe things are heading in the wrong direction.
Similar majorities also believe the economy is in bad shape. That’s a toxic climate for Democrats, and the solution — if one emerges at all — isn’t obvious.
“Voters think the economy is awful, and no amounts of statistics (at least in the short term) will change their minds,” according to the Third Way analysis.
“Jobs figures, wage figures, and the number of people we’ve rehired don’t sway them.” We should continue to discuss these issues (particularly the salary and return-to-work figures).”
“However, we must recognize they will have little influence when consumers see ‘assistance wanted’ billboards all over Main Street.”
“It won’t matter much when people see restaurant sections closed due to a shortage of staff members, increased costs, and supply shortages. Even when things are improving, Biden isn’t given credit.”
