President Joe Biden‘s approval ratings keep reaching new lows to the detriment of his administration and the Democratic Party.
With 100-odd days until November’s midterm cycle, Biden is notching just over 30% approval in some polls. Inflation and gas prices, for example, could ease before the elections, but Biden’s record is complicating competitive House and Senate races that will decide Congress’s balance of power and what the president can realistically achieve during the second half of his term.
BIDEN AND DEMOCRATS SURVEY DAMAGE TO TRUMP FROM JAN. 6 HEARINGS
Quinnipiac University released a poll this week that found only 31% of respondents approve of Biden’s job as president, an all-time low for the national survey and down from his February 2021 high of 50%. Biden’s July rating represents a 2-percentage-point drop from the 33% he received in two surveys one month earlier.
“It’s certainly not the lowest presidential approval rating ever, but it is a very concerning one for the White House,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy told the Washington Examiner.
Malloy is right. If Biden’s approval dips below 30%, he is poised to become a member of an exclusive, though undesirable, presidential club to descend to the same nadir. Other members include former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, according to FiveThirtyEight polling averages. That list encompasses former Presidents George W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Harry Truman, according to Gallup’s Presidential Job Approval Center.
To be fair, Biden’s average approval is 37% and 38%, according to RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight, respectively. But a Des Moines Register-Mediacom Iowa Poll circulated this week found Biden’s approval was 27%, the second-lowest rating of any president measured by the survey.
Marist College poll director Barbara Carvalho, whose own July survey had Biden’s approval at 36%, its lowest rating of his administration, noted the president lost Iowa in the 2020 election by 8 percentage points.
“That said, historically, when we look at midterms, it’s 40% that is the ‘danger’ yard line for the incumbent president,” she said. “Thirty percent became the new 40% due to Trump’s low approval ratings.”
Biden’s Marist poll approval fell 4 percentage points from 40% last month to 36% in July “mostly due to dissatisfaction among Democrats,” according to Carvalho.
“Dems perceive a lack of intensity on the president’s part to take [action] on issues such as abortion, guns, climate change, etc,” she said. “The top issue for Democrats is abortion, and issues which follow for Dems are Jan. 6, guns, healthcare, and then inflation.”
“Republicans and independents, particularly Republican-leaning indies, are driving concerns about inflation,” she added. “Top issue for 37% of Americans in same poll and 57% of Republicans.”
For Carvalho, the midterm elections will be defined by whether Biden becomes “irrelevant” for down-ballot Democrats because voters are mobilized by the issues or whether Democratic frustration with the president and Congress suppresses turnout while economic conditions energize Republicans.
“GOP is trying to nationalize the economy issue for November,” she said. “Dems are trying to focus on states and what representatives from those states will mean for the issues important to their base and which also resonate with other constituencies, such as suburban women.”
Spokeswomen for the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees were mum when asked how they were advising candidates to mitigate the possibility of Biden being a drag on their tickets.
But with Republicans enjoying a 2-percentage-point average advantage over Democrats in generic congressional ballot polling, in addition to an 84% chance to control the House, Republican National Committee spokesman Will O’Grady was chattier.
“Democrats may look for any reason to duck Biden, but voters know that Democrats rubber-stamped Biden’s $1.9 trillion boondoggle that caused historic inflation, record high gas prices, and skyrocketing prices on everyday goods,” he said. “Every Democrat is a Biden Democrat, and they will feel the full weight of Biden’s miserable approval numbers in November.”
The Senate is a different story, with FiveThirtyEight forecasting that Democrats and Republicans each have a 50% chance of securing a majority. Toss-up races incorporate those of Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), as well as the open seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA).
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed the idea Friday that political aspects of Biden’s job were being de-prioritized after his travel schedule and fundraiser plans were upended by his COVID-19 diagnosis.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“No, he’s not worried,” she said.” He’s going to continue to do the work that you’ve seen him do. He’s also making phone calls. He’s having these virtual meetings that we’ve provided. COVID is not unusual, right? This is something that we were preparing for.”
