Joe Biden rallied with his fellow Democrats on Monday night, delivering a message of optimism and determination in the face of widespread concerns about his party’s participation in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Addressing a raucous crowd in Maryland, Biden underscored the high stakes of the races that will determine control of the US Congress for the next two years. Painting a grim picture of a Republican-controlled Congress, Biden predicted the opposing party would use its majority to roll back Americans’ rights and dismantle welfare programs.
“Our lives are going to be shaped by what happens in the next year to three years,” Biden said. “It’s going to shape what the next two decades will look like.”
Biden repeated his promise to strengthen abortion rights if Democrats expand their majorities in Congress, but recent polls suggest that Americans are currently more focused on economic issues, where Republicans have traditionally held an edge with voters. In the final days of the campaign, some Democrats have expressed alarm that their candidates have not done enough to address concerns over the state of the economy, leaving the party vulnerable to a red surge on Tuesday.
Faced with near-record inflation and fears of a potential recession, Biden instead pointed to different metrics — namely the low unemployment rate and the 10 million jobs created since taking office — to defend his economic program. administration. Noting that Donald Trump was the first president to oversee a job cut since Herbert Hoover, Biden argued that Republicans had no plan to improve the economy.
“Remember, these were the guys who passed the $2 billion tax cut for the rich and big business and didn’t pay a penny for it,” Biden said, referring to the The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that Trump signed into law. “We’re the ones cutting the deficit, which allows us to give ordinary, hard-working Americans some breathing space.”
Republicans vehemently rejected Biden’s final argument to midterm voters, accusing Democrats to neglect Americans’ most pressing concerns at a precipitous time for the US economy.
“Our country deserves leaders who take responsibility and understand the issues facing hard-working families – Joe Biden and the Democrats have only shown that they are out of touch and empowering the people,” said Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee.
Several Democratic candidates running for office on Tuesday ran alongside Biden at Bowie State University, a historically black school just outside Washington. Biden was introduced by Wes Moore, who will become Maryland’s first black governor if he wins on Tuesday. Given Moore impressive lead in the pollshe appears poised to swing Maryland’s governorship under Democratic control after eight years of Republican Larry Hogan’s leadership.
Even with those encouraging signs, Moore stressed he was taking nothing for granted in the final hours before the polls closed.
“The only poll that matters is election day,” Moore said. “And until those polls close tomorrow night, we’re running like we’re 10 points behind.”
Democrats fear Moore’s success could prove to be the exception rather than the rule for the party’s candidates on Tuesday night. According FiveThirtyEight, Republicans recently regained their edge on the generic Congressional ballot — a polling summary asking respondents which party they would prefer to control Congress — raising hopes for the GOP to take control of the House. Republican candidates also gained ground in some key Senate racesraising the possibility of Democrats losing their majority in both chambers on Tuesday.
If Republicans can regain control of the House and Senate, their success would dash any hope that Democrats will embrace more of their legislative priorities for the next two years. House Republicans also promised they would use their majority power to launch investigations into the Biden administration and quickly end the work of the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 uprising.
Speaking to his supporters on Monday night, Biden warned that Republican control of Congress could have far-reaching consequences for the nation’s governing institutions. Hundreds of Republican candidates running this year have expressed unfounded doubts on the legitimacy of Biden’s 2020 victory, and the president has argued that empowering such deniers could threaten the foundations of American democracy.
“There are only two outcomes in their view of an election. First, either they win or they were cheated,” Biden said. “You can’t just love your country when you win.”
Even as Biden expressed deep concern over the threats facing America, he ended his last speech before Election Day on a hopeful note, indicating he was confident that democratic principles would guide voters on Tuesday. and would help Democrats win victories in every ballot.
“As I travel around this country and around the world, I see [a] great nation because I know we are good people,” Biden said. “We just have to remember who the hell we are.”