Democrats are becoming increasingly worried that President Joe Biden’s faltering approval ratings will hurt their chances of maintaining their majorities in Congress with only three weeks left before Election Day.
As inflation rates continue to increase, several Democrats say they’re concerned Biden will become the scapegoat for rising prices — hurting the party’s candidates through association. Democrats have also become concerned about being tied to the president, as only 42% of voters say they approve of his job performance, compared to 53% who disapprove, according to polling averages analyzed by FiveThirtyEight.
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“It’s all about the economy, and at the end of the day, everything is more expensive than it was a year ago, retirement accounts are plummeting, and gas prices are lower but they’re inching up again,” one Democratic strategist told the Hill. “And President Biden is in charge, so of course, people are going to point to him, unfairly or not.”
The sentiments come as nearly half of voters say they’re likely to vote for Republicans to represent them in Congress, according to the latest New York Times–Siena College poll.
The increase in Republican support is partly due to economic concerns, with rising inflation topping voter concerns and 44% of voters saying economic issues are the most important issues facing the country, according to the poll. Of those who are most concerned with the economy, a majority of voters favor Republicans (64%) over Democrats (30%) to handle the issue.
The same poll has also prompted Democrats to reconsider Biden’s strength for a potential reelection bid in 2024, with the survey finding that 45% of voters would vote for former President Donald Trump, compared to 44% who said they’d back Biden in a hypothetical rematch between the two.
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Still, Biden has been invited to campaign alongside a handful of Democratic candidates, traveling to the West Coast last week to stump for candidates such as gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek in Oregon and a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in Los Angeles, California.
However, some candidates have opted to campaign with other prominent party members, such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and first lady Jill Biden, who have become the most popular surrogates in the Biden administration to appear on the campaign trail.
