Member-only story
Did Democrats Misfire the Midterm Campaign Message?
Polling led Dems to seize on abortion and threats to democracy even as voters were clamoring about inflation. What happened?
“Most Candidates Who Think 2020 Was Rigged Are Probably Going to Win in November,” complained FiveThirtyEight in October.
It is a sentiment being echoed by media outlets from coast to coast.
“Voters See Democracy in Peril, but Saving It Isn’t a Priority,” chorused the New York Times on October 18, 2022.
“Voters overwhelmingly believe American democracy is under threat, but seem remarkably apathetic about that danger, with few calling it the nation’s most pressing problem, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll,” concluded Nick Corasaniti, Michael C. Bender, Ruth Igielnik and Kristen Bayrakdarian for the NYT.
The midterm election is less than a week away and many voting Democrats are in a panic about the party’s chances.
What went wrong?
After months of hearings about January 6, millions in campaign spending, plenty of help from prestigious media outlets, and even a campaign tour-de-force by Democratic Party super-PAC closer Barack Obama, nothing seems to have budged polling in Democrats favor.