President Biden is enjoying what appears to be a sustained uptick in approval polls related to a number of factors that could help Democrats in the midterm elections.
Here’s what’s behind it:
legislative victory
Biden and his party’s very narrow congressional majority have had a string of legislative successes over the past 18 months. There was an American rescue plan that put in. Then there was the massive infrastructure bill last fall.
But the inflation-cutting bill Biden signed into law last month appeared to have contributed most to the president’s recent political comeback.
The legislation contains some of Biden and his party’s biggest policy priorities. It is the largest US investment ever in the fight against climate change and means higher taxes on businesses and wealthy investors. It’s also taking steps to reduce health care costs by expanding federal health insurance subsidies and allowing the government to negotiate the price of prescription drugs for Medicare seniors.
Of course, the law has been relentlessly targeted by Republicans who claim it will raise taxes on Americans and exacerbate already high inflation. there is In short, it shows to party voters that the Democratic Party can deliver on its campaign promises.
“Today things are very different,” said Anjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist and senior adviser to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). “We need to look at the fact that not only is the president’s legislative agenda extremely popular, but much of it is being realized.”
gas fee
Gasoline prices will rise dramatically in 2021 and early 2022, straining Americans’ wallets and consequently Biden’s approval numbers. It peaked at over $5 per gallon.
But modern drivers are breathing a little easier. As of Monday, the national average for a gallon of gasoline was just under $3.68, down from about $3.72 a week ago and about $3.92 a month ago.
That’s still higher than this time last year, about $0.48 higher. Still, it’s moving in the right direction, helping Biden’s approval ratings recover from the depths they reached over the summer.
Gasoline prices generally go up and down in line with oil prices. That means the president can only do so much to influence those prices. At the same time, US oil production has not fully reached pre-pandemic levels.
In March, Biden announced plans to release 1 million barrels a day over six months from the nation’s strategic oil reserves to curb rising gas prices. And while there may be long-term questions about what will happen when these releases are finished, lower fuel prices have removed the political pressure on Biden for now.
playing cards
Former President Trump never disappeared from the public eye. Since leaving the White House last year, he has voiced his support in one Republican primary, held rallies for his favorite candidates, and his falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen from him. has continued to publicly promote the allegations of
But he’s resurfaced as a headline figure in recent months. This is especially true as extensive investigations into alleged wrongdoing have intensified.
The most high-profile investigation into the former president’s actions came to light last month when the FBI raided his private residence in Palm Beach, Fla., as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents. But he’s also in legal trouble in Georgia, where a special grand jury is investigating whether Trump and his allies tried to reverse the state’s 2020 election loss. There is
Meanwhile, Biden has again stepped up his criticism of Trump, calling him and his political campaign a threat to American democracy. NBC News poll Released on Sunday, Trump’s likeability ratings have plummeted to one of the lowest points since he took office.
Midterm elections tend to focus on the incumbent president and his party, but Trump has proven to be an effective foil for Democrats in the past, and his recent headline-grabbing tendencies will likely lead to 2020. It helped rekindle the energy that galvanized support for Biden.
“Forget he’s not president anymore,” said one Republican strategist. “I think a lot of people are thinking of Trump right now, and Biden looks better in comparison.”
abortion rights
Biden and his party also came out in an effort to rally Americans against Republican efforts to limit abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling. We’ve seen a rise in the polls.
The political implications of this decision are already evident. Kansas voters reject an amendment to strip the state constitution of abortion protection, Democrats swept a few hotly contested special elections, and polls highlight reproductive rights issues. is shown. become more important in the midterm elections.
Post-vote polls reveal support for abortion rights. New York Times and Siena University Poll .
And it’s not just Democratic voters. His 65% of independents say abortion should remain legal in most cases.
As a result, Biden has been riding the same wave as other Democrats in the post-Law political environment. In July, he signed an executive order seeking to protect access to abortion drugs and emergency contraception.
