House Democrats running for re-election in competitive districts are urging leadership this week to push more legislation that could reverse the party’s political fortunes ahead of the midterm elections this fall.
Roughly six months out from the elections, Republicans are well-positioned to take back the House this fall. Many of the 32 Frontline Democrats considered most at risk in the midterms aired their frustrations with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) this week, according to Punchbowl News.
“I think I can probably broadly speak for everybody – I’m worried about my race,” said Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who represents a competitive district outside Richmond, VA. “I know on the ground how hard I’m working. But I also don’t control the schedule. I also don’t control what gets to the floor. So I think where you see a lot of people being really vocal is on the legislation that needs to move, on the legislation that people can speak to and explain.”
Persistent inflation, high gas prices, crime and other issues have kept President Joe Biden’s job approval rating hovering around 42 percent. The president’s party has, on average, lost 30 House seats in midterm elections for the past century, and Republicans only need a net gain of five seats to regain the House.
In an interview with Punchbowl News, Hoyer acknowledged House Democrats need some easy wins this cycle.
“The Frontliners have some individual bills that they’re interested in, and I want to make sure we can get them some success on these bills,” Hoyer said. “They’re coming to me frustrated that they can’t get movement on their bills. There’s a lot of things pressing, and everybody’s got their own interests. But I want to make sure that our Frontliners – who are critically important to us in maintaining our majority and, very frankly, defending democracy – get heard.”
This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of Associations and Inroads.