In 2022 midterm elections, ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ still applies
In this Dec. 10, 2019 photo, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., right, speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Maloney says he and other Democrats are aiming to block two GOP-backed redistricting maps next year. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
House Democratic leaders have struggled with the political reality of 2018. And in 2020, they hope that a new focus on economic issues — and the Democrats’ newfound ability to run up big margins in every state around the country — will help. But while the party has put those messages front and center, it hasn’t exactly focused on what’s actually driving the 2018 midterm results.
The 2018 midterm elections were, in many ways, a referendum on President Donald Trump. There were the stunning Republican losses, with Democrats taking over the House in an election with no Republican incumbent and a narrow lead in the Senate. It also was one of the first tests of Trump’s political capital after taking office, as he suffered defeat after defeat in the 2018 primaries.
The same could be said for 2020. And 2020 Democrats have made clear to voters what they think and feel about the president.
Take this past weekend in Milwaukee, where 10 Democratic presidential hopefuls headlined a town hall event, where every candidate took questions from journalists and members of the public.
The event was hosted by the Democratic National Committee in partnership with the nonprofit Working Families Party, whose goal is to “empower working people, especially women, people of color, and people living in low-wage jobs,” according to their website. The group, which has endorsed former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was founded by Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio.
They were joined by: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, who attended his first debate the day before the event; and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Colorado Gov. John