With many midterm races being called, Democrats are projected to lose the majority in the lower chamber, with the fate of the upper chamber remaining unclear. Still, US observers admit that the Dems appear to have evaded doom at the ballot against all odds, which includes Joe Biden's political blunders. The latter risked becoming a liability for the Dems.
Indeed, over a half of Dems oppose Biden's 2024 re-election bid, according to an October Ipsos poll. Furthermore, the US mainstream media admitted in August 2022, that the incumbent wasn't featured in midterm ads and went largely unnamed on campaign websites and Twitter accounts. Democratic candidates in key battleground states did not ask him to come and back them, and even avoided him when he suggested campaigning with them.
The trend started to take shape a year ago, with left-leaning observers wondering whether it would be a good idea to nominate Biden again, given his rapidly plummeting approval rates. For his part, former advisor and pollster to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Mark Penn, warned Joe Biden against "coddling and catering to progressives," which could cost the Dems dozens of seats in the US Congress.
All in all, Democrats have good reasons to be discontent with Biden, given the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, rising energy prices, soaring inflation, unfolding recession, and the president's failure to deliver on his bold election promises. Most of Biden's landmark initiatives have wound up stalled in the US Senate, thus inflicting damage on the party's image.
In addition to that, Biden appears to be at odds with some of the Democratic midterm winners. One of them is California Governor Gavin Newsom. In September 2022, the US president delivered an embarrassing public rebuke concerning Newsom's pro-union legislation designed to help set wages and working conditions for the state’s fast food workers. According to the press, the ambitious Golden State governor was privately seething over Biden's interference. In addition to that, Newsom is said to be running a "quasi-presidential campaign" and sending signals to the Democratic Party that he is ready to jump in if Biden can’t or won’t toss his hat into the ring in 2024.
Illinois Governor and billionaire J.B. Pritzker is said to also be interested in running for president instead of Joe Biden. In July 2022, the US mainstream media quoted him as saying that it is "certainly possible" the incumbent could face a Democrat challenger in 2024. Moreover, it was reported that Pritzker, like other disgruntled Dems, was fuming over Biden's inability or unwillingness to respond with "appropriate force" to the GOP's blockade of gun control legislation, SCOTUS overturning abortion rights law, or ID laws adopted by Republican state legislations.
Earlier, Democratic Governor of New Mexico Michelle Lujan Grisham also signaled disenchantment with Biden’s limits on oil and gas production, saying they don’t make any sense for New Mexico. She lamented the fact that the Biden administration's anti-fossil fuel policies could hurt the state given that oil and gas extraction funds many of New Mexico's social programs. "I am clearly concerned," Lujan Grisham told the press in March 2021. "Right out of the gate with very little guidance, we have an announcement to stall, a moratorium, on lease applications." The situation changed in August 2022, when Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires the land be open to oil and gas in exchange for allowing new leases for renewable energy projects. Biden was forced to backpedal on his green policies and climate change agenda due to the energy crisis and inflation pressure.
At the same time, however, Biden's change of heart towards traditional fuels has angered congressional progressives, who are projected to maintain their presence in the 118th Congress. The past few years have demonstrated that the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a considerable force capable of exerting pressure on the Democratic leadership. They have grown disenchanted with Biden since he failed to fully deliver on his ambitious Build Back Better and climate policies and subjected the president to criticism over his cancelling of student debt (which, according to them, was "not enough").
The House progressives are also known for their attempted demarche aimed at pressuring Biden to start brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia. Even though they later withdrew their letter to the president, their anti-war sentiments have persisted.
The 2022 midterms have not seen the demise of progressives, quite the contrary, according to the US left-leaning press. The House is bracing for newcomers, with Florida’s Maxwell Frost, Illinois’ Delia Ramirez, Texas’ Greg Casar, and Pennsylvania’s Summer Lee winning races for the lower chamber. A "new squad" is in the making, the American media presumes, adding that even more progressive Dems may end up in the US Congress.
The combination of disgruntled moderates, progressives, thirsty for immediate changes, and a vengeful GOP should apparently ring alarm bells for the 79-year old president, who is reportedly determined to run again in 2024. Good luck, Joe!