Defying polls and the predictions of many political analysts, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made a forecast that House Democrats would hold on to enough seats to stay in power after the midterm elections in November.
“I think we’re going to hold the majority,” the Maryland Democrat told reporters Wednesday. “I know that is contrary to what some people think.”
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Hoyer offered his optimistic analysis hours after a new poll showed voters were disappointed in Biden’s first year in office and a day after the 28th Democratic incumbent made an announcement about not seeking reelection.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports poll, 60% called the president’s first year unsuccessful, and among those, 50% said Biden has been “very unsuccessful.” Overall, a third of Democrats also think he’s failed.
But Hoyer said Democrats can run on passing a strong agenda, including the stalled social welfare and green energy legislation known as Build Back Better.
Hoyer predicted some form of the gridlocked measure would eventually pass.
“I think we’re going pass Build Back Better and in a form that will be of great assistance to the American people,” Hoyer said. “So I think we’ll have a very solid agenda to run on.”
Democrats have not come up with a path forward on the $1.75 trillion measure that would meet the approval of holdout Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, who won’t vote for it out of concerns over the high cost and other policy disputes in the legislation.
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Hoyer said Democrats could succeed in the 2022 elections in spite of Biden’s low poll numbers, noting Democrats “have run ahead of the president” in past elections.
“I think we are gonna have a very, very strong agenda to run on, and as long as we make it clear to the American people what we’ve done, how it impacts them positively, I think we are going to get a good response from the American people.”
Hoyer said the GOP is not offering an agenda, but rather “is running against things,” including green energy policies offered by the Democrats.
Democrats are defending a narrow majority in November and can afford to lose only a handful of House seats, which analysts and GOP lawmakers predict will make it likely Republicans win back control.
