US Midterm Elections D-1... "Democracy Crisis vs Economic Judgment" Former and Current Presidents All Appear

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the last weekend before the November 8 midterm elections that will reshape the power of the U.S. Congress, former and current presidents made a full-scale appearance at campaign venues. As concerns grew that both the Senate and the House could be taken over by the Republican Party, the Democratic Party saw not only President Joe Biden but also former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton step up to appeal for support. Former President Donald Trump reiterated his intention to soon announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, continuing the Republican Party's momentum for a landslide victory.

On Sunday the 6th (local time), the last Sunday before the election, the Democratic Party focused on the "crisis of democracy," while the Republican Party emphasized the "economic judgment theory" in their campaigns. President Biden, who had urged support alongside former President Obama in the battleground state of Pennsylvania the previous day, warning that "American democracy is under threat," visited New York State to repeat the same message. He expressed concern that "now is the time to protect democracy and make a choice," stating that American democracy is at a 'turning point.'

This aligns with the message of former President Clinton, who warned at a Democratic rally in Brooklyn, New York, the previous day that if the Democrats lose control of Congress, "there will be tremendous consequences." On Sunday, Clinton visited the battleground state of Nevada, claiming that "voting for the opponent (Republicans) means voting to cut Social Security."

On the other hand, former President Trump of the Republican Party visited Miami, Florida, following his visit to Pennsylvania the previous day, raising his voice that "the country will be ruined" if the Republicans do not win. He hinted that his presidential candidacy announcement is imminent by saying, "Maybe I have to do it one more time," and "Stay tuned."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Currently, in the political arena, it is virtually taken for granted that the Republican Party will regain the majority in the House in this election, which targets 35 of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 House seats. The political media RealClearPolitics predicted that the Republicans will secure 228 seats in the House, surpassing the majority threshold of 218 seats. In the Senate, even one or two battleground states could tilt the balance in favor of the Republicans. This is the background behind President Biden's intense campaign tour over the past week through six states including New York. Locally, following former President Clinton and his wife, Biden's decision to campaign in New York, a typical 'Democratic stronghold,' rather than battleground states, is being interpreted as a sign that the current situation is not favorable.

The last pre-election polls released that day confirmed that the support rates of both parties are engaged in a close race within the margin of error. According to a survey by NBC News, 48% of respondents supported the Democratic Party, which was not significantly different from the Republican Party's 47%. On the same day, a survey released by ABC News and The Washington Post (WP) showed the Republican Party and Democratic Party with support rates of 50% and 48%, respectively.

However, analyses continue to suggest that the prospects for a Republican victory are gaining weight as President Biden's approval rating remains low and the majority of voters express concerns about the economy. In the NBC survey, President Biden's approval rating for his administration was 44%, down 0.1 percentage points from the previous month. This is slightly lower than the approval ratings of former Presidents Obama (45%) and Trump (46%) just before their midterm election defeats. At that time, the Democratic and Republican parties lost 63 and 40 seats respectively in the House alone.

In this survey, 81% of respondents said they were very or somewhat dissatisfied with the current U.S. economy. Additionally, 72% pointed out that the country is heading in the wrong direction. In the ABC/WP survey, 52% of respondents believed the Republican Party would handle economic issues better than the Democratic Party (38%). More than 8 out of 10 people cited the economy as the main factor influencing the election, followed by inflation (77%) and the threat to democracy (74%). ABC News reported, "What is clear is that the Democratic Party is facing a strong headwind," adding, "Dissatisfaction with the economy and President Biden's low approval rating are fueling Republican expectations in the midterm elections."

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