The 2021 elections punched Democrats in the mouth. They got rolled across the board in Virginia, where the GOP won all three statewide offices and flipped the House of Delegates, and they almost lost the governorship in New Jersey. Failed Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe surely thinks that the Hill’s dithering on passing any form of legislation hurt his chances, but I doubt it. The real issue was Joe Biden and his toxicity to the Democratic brand. Yet, Democrats did move on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill (BIF) in the hopes of bettering their midterm chances. Will it work? Probably not. Inflation is still soaring and the real pinch of natural gas spikes when it comes to heating homes will soon be felt across the country as winter looms. All of these are crises Biden has either created or made worse.
He’s lost the middle. Suburban voters are souring on him and there’s little to suggest Biden can turn the ship around. He can’t. The port from which to make this turn is filled with the ships that cannot unload their goods due to the supply chain crisis that he has yet to tackle. With a bloodbath on the horizon, Democrats are heading for the exit—literally. Over a dozen have said they’re going to say ‘sayonara’ to Congress come 2022. So, the Democrats’ bleeding from the 2021 elections has not stopped. If anything, this cycle opened the wound. Oh, and there’s no sign that the ‘I’m not seeking re-election announcements will cease any time soon. The midterms could become a killing field for Democrats (via The Hill):
Democrats are bracing for the possibility of a coming wave of retirements as the party comes to grips with a series of ominous electoral losses in Virginia and other states that portend trouble in the 2022 midterms.
Fourteen House Democrats have already announced that they will not seek reelection in 2022. But the painful string of defeats in Tuesday’s off-year elections is stirring speculation that more of the party’s incumbents may be eyeing the exits ahead of the midterms in hopes of avoiding brutal reelection campaigns or being relegated once again to the minority.
[…]
“Tuesday’s elections are a warning for all Democrats,” Guy Cecil, the chairman of the largest Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, wrote in a post-election memo. “With midterm elections just a year away, we face a difficult set of challenges, some of our own making.”
Those who have already announced retirement plans include senior Democrats like Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and David Price (D-N.C.), who have both served for decades in the House, and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), the chair of the powerful House Budget Committee, though none of their seats are considered particularly vulnerable.
Others, such as Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), Filemón Vela (D-Texas), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.), represent districts that Republicans are targeting in 2022.
Democrats only have a four-seat majority in the House. It’s a midterm. The party in power usually does poorly. Joe Biden’s approvals are in the toilet. And the electorate will not be favorable to Democrats next year. Yeah, I could see why some folks are forgoing re-election.
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