As confidence in the Biden administration reaches new lows, vulnerable Democrats running in the 2022 midterms want to disassociate from their party, according to an Associated Press report.
Democrats in Congress are localizing their campaign issues to create distance between them and the embattled administration in Washington, D.C. Even though her party is currently enjoying a legislative majority, Nevada senator Catherine Cortez Masto says on her campaign website she is running against "dysfunction in Washington." Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman, another vulnerable Democrat, said in a recent TV ad showing footage of a town in his state, "Washington, D.C., attacked towns like this for years." Wisconsin Senate candidate Mandela Barnes has described the Democratic-controlled Senate as an "out-of-touch millionaire’s club," the AP reported. And New Hampshire senator Maggie Hassan has criticized in recent weeks President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and border policies, as well as challenged her party to address soaring gas prices.
"I’m taking on members of my own party to push a gas tax holiday, and I’m pushing Joe Biden to release more of our oil reserves," Hassan said in a May campaign ad.
Almost 50 Democratic officials doubt President Joe Biden can prevent sweeping losses for Democrats in the midterms, interviews conducted by the New York Times revealed. The president is unpopular among both parties as the cost of goods climbs and gas prices reach an average of $5 for the first time in history. After the past two years brought a disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, border crisis, and record inflation, party leaders, including former president Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist, are also concerned about Biden’s age and efficacy if he ran again in 2024.
"To say our country was on the right track would flagrantly depart from reality," Steve Simeonidis, a Democratic National Committee member from Miami, told the New York Times.