Republicans are supposed to be facing a difficult Senate map for the 2022 midterm elections as they look to retake both houses of Congress. President Joe Biden is making that a lot easier.
According to online pollster Civiqs, Biden’s approval rating is underwater in 24 of the 34 states that will be electing senators in 2022. That includes states with incumbent Democratic senators such as Arizona (where Biden’s approval is -11 points), Colorado (-4), Georgia (-12), and Nevada (-4), as well as states that the GOP is defending in Florida (-10), North Carolina (-11), Pennsylvania (-8), and Wisconsin (-4).
The only bright spot for Democrats is in New Hampshire, where Biden is up 5 points (49%-44%). Yet, even that minor victory is not absolute: A recent Saint Anselm poll shows Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan trailing GOP Gov. Chris Sununu by 8 points in a hypothetical matchup.
Meanwhile, the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has Biden’s national approval rating at 43%, with his approval among independents now sitting at just 36%. With just an eight-seat majority in the House and a tiebreaker majority in the Senate, Biden is losing the support of independents and is poised to drag down vulnerable House and Senate Democrats, as well as the Democratic challengers to vulnerable GOP senators.
In the last four midterm elections, the party in the White House has lost more House seats than the 8-seat majority Democrats currently have. Barring catastrophe, the GOP should easily take the House majority. But the Senate is the big prize, as Republicans would have more control over, say, a Supreme Court nomination to replace Justice Stephen Breyer. Given that Breyer recently ruled that the president should essentially be able to do whatever he wants, it would be important for Republicans to have a say in who would replace him.
All signs continue to point to a national environment that won’t just sweep House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of the speakership but could cut short Senate Majority Chuck Schumer’s first stint as the top senator after just two years. Things could not be lining up better for Republicans right now, and all they have to do is try not to throw it all away.
