Biden Blocks Concerns Over Governing Base Damage After Governor Election Defeat

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Joe Biden expressed regret at his first official appearance following a shocking gubernatorial election defeat, stating that his social infrastructure investment plan should have been passed before the election. However, he sought to dispel concerns that the election results would damage his governing base.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 3rd (local time), after delivering a speech at the White House about COVID-19 vaccinations for children, President Biden was asked, "Do you think Terry McAuliffe, the Virginia gubernatorial candidate, would have won if the social infrastructure investment bill had passed before the election?" He replied, "I thought the social infrastructure investment bill should have been passed before the election, but I wasn’t sure if very conservative lawmakers from the red zones (Republican strongholds) where Trump supporters vote could be secured."

Earlier that day, upon returning from a European visit in the early morning, President Biden did not respond to reporters' questions regarding the Virginia gubernatorial election defeat.

President Biden recalled that he won Virginia by a 10 percentage point margin over former President Donald Trump in last year's presidential election and argued that the recent election results do not negate support for him.

McAuliffe lost the election held the previous day to Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate backed by former President Trump. Analysts attributed this to moderate voters turning away from the Democratic Party amid controversies over the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal, confusion over the social infrastructure investment bill, and soaring inflation.

President Biden also cited COVID-19 response, job issues, and rising oil prices as examples, stating, "Voters are angry and uncertain about many things," while assessing the reasons for the election defeat. Nevertheless, he insisted, "The people want us to get the job done."

Following the Virginia gubernatorial election defeat, the Democratic Party is also struggling unexpectedly in the New Jersey gubernatorial race. Incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, seeking re-election, and Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli are in a tight race with 89% of the votes counted. U.S. media outlets are refraining from predicting a winner in the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

U.S. media unanimously forecast that the recent gubernatorial election defeats have placed the Biden administration and the Democratic Party in a serious crisis ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.