Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that she feared for the future of American democracy if Republicans took control of the House ...
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that she feared for the future of American democracy if Republicans took control of the House in the midterms but claimed that Democrats would pick up seats in November's elections.
Poll after poll has suggested that her party is in for a humiliating result, at a time when President Joe Biden's ratings are at historic lows and his domestic agenda is stalled.
Republicans need only to pick up five districts to take back the House.
'It is absolutely essential for our democracy that we win,' said Pelosi.
'I fear for our democracy if the Republicans were ever to get the gavel. We can't let that happen.
'Democracy is on the ballot in November.'
She made her comments in an interview with Time magazine's Molly Ball during a virtual ceremony for the 2022 Toner Prizes for political journalism.
Spiraling inflation, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and party splits have sent Biden's approval numbers into freefall.
Last week a poll from a trusted Democratic source found that only 34 percent of voters approved of his performance in office.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi framed November's elections as a referendum on democracy during an interview on Monday, and claimed Democrats would pick up seats
Pelose made her comments in an interview with Time's Molly Ball during a virtual ceremony to present the 2022 Toner Prizes for political journalism
House Republicans, led by Kevin McCarthy, believe they are on course for a sizeable majority
That will make life even harder for Democrats in midterms, when a party holding Congress and the White House can generally expect a backlash anyway.
Pelosi framed the vote in terms of former President Donald Trump's continuing grip on the Republican Party, along with his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result and the legacy of his supporters assault on the U.S. Capitol.
'It's a really a call to action for us to make sure that the public understands what is at stake,' she said.
As a result a defiant Pelosi insisted: 'I don't have any intention of the Democrats losing the Congress in November.'
Recent years have upended conventional thinking on elections, she said.
'Everybody said redistricting was going to be horrible for the Democrats,' she said.
'Remember that? Not so. Not so.
'If anything, we'll pick up seats rather than lose 10 to 15, which conventional wisdom said that we would.
'There's nothing conventional anymore, and it certainly ain't wisdom.'
Republicans see it differently and are preparing to retake the House.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he expected a big majority in November.
'We're going to win the majority, and it's not going to be a five-seat majority,' he told Punchbowl News last week.
A string of recent polls suggests Republicans are poised to make gains.
Recent polls have shown that President Joe Biden's approval rating is deep underwater, making it even harder for Democrats to hold on to their slim majority in the House
Biden's dire approval shows no signs of a rebound: Just 34% of Americans approve his performance in office in poll trusted by Democrats - while another survey shows most voters blame him for crippling inflation and soaring gas prices
Gas neared $7 a gallon in Los Angeles this week amid record prices across the country
A survey conducted for the campaign arm of the House Republicans found that 75 per cent of battleground voters believed that Democrats were 'out of touch' and 'condescending.'
Additionally, 67 per cent said Democratic spending in Congress was 'out of control.'
The new National Republican Congressional Committee poll surveyed voters from 77 swing Congressional districts, which Biden won, on average, by 5.5 points.
And there is bad news on perceptions of the economy.
A new poll from a trusted Democratic source finds that not 3 in 10 Americans believe the economy will get better one year from now and just 34 percent approve of President Biden's job in office.
The poll was conducted by J. Ann Selzer for Grinnell College in Iowa. Selzer's polls of Iowa voters have a reputation of high accuracy, especially by Democrats who caucus in Iowa before any other state.
While 34 percent approve of Biden's job in office, 52 percent disapprove and 14 percent do not have an opinion. Thirty-seven percent approve of Biden's handling of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 47 percent approve of his handling of Covid-19 and 31 percent approve of his job with the economy.
Meanwhile, only 27 percent of Americans believe the economy will get better 12 months from now, down 10 points from March 2021.
No comments