President Joe Biden avoided taking full responsibility for poor Democratic performances in New Jersey and Virginia’s off-year elections, but he urged his congressional colleagues to pass his legislative agenda to sidestep future losses in next year’s midterm cycle.
“People want us to get things done. They want us to get things done,” he said Wednesday at the White House.
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Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe this week, one year after Biden claimed the commonwealth over former President Donald Trump by double digits. The Youngkin-McAuliffe race was called late Tuesday when Youngkin, an ex-private equity businessman, was 2.1 points ahead of the one-time governor and Democratic National Committee chairman, with 95% of precincts reporting.
Biden distinguished his campaign from that of McAuliffe, contending that Trump was his opponent. When pressed on why he and McAuliffe both mentioned his predecessor so many times during their joint rally last week, Biden said it was because “the issues he supports are affecting their lives every day.”
Biden conceded that liberal House Democrats should have cleared his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal last week, but he was less certain about whether it would have helped McAuliffe.
“I’m not sure I would have been able to change the very conservative folks who turned out in red districts who were Trump voters, but maybe, maybe,” he said.
The contest between incumbent New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Jack Ciattarelli, a former businessman and state lawmaker, is still undecided. Murphy was in front of Ciattarelli by almost 15,000 votes Wednesday afternoon, 50% to 49%, with 98% of precincts reporting.
Biden weighed in on the state elections after remarks on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authorization of the Pfizer-Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11. The demographic represents a quarter of the country’s cases, he said, at one point coughing twice and taking a break to drink water.
“For parents all over this country, this is a day [of] relief and celebration,” he said. “Trusted messengers like pediatricians and family doctors will be able to answer your questions.”
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Biden also touted his administration’s preparedness for the approximately 28 million extra people now eligible for the COVID-19 shots. He encouraged seniors to sign up for booster shots as well.
