Progressives are urging Democrats to lean more into the economy in the final weeks before the midterms, arguing the party needs a course correction from its efforts to motivate voters through warnings about abortion rights and a GOP committed to former President Trump.
The plea for a sharper focus comes as recent polls have dampened Democrats’ hopes for the election while showing voters rank inflation and economic concerns as their top priorities.
“The closing argument has to be about what matters to voters,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of liberal activist network Our Revolution. “Right now, voters are looking for candidates who are fighting to raise their standard of living.”
While rising inflation under President Biden’s watch has been used by Republicans for attack advertising, Geevarghese and other progressive activists argue that Democrats can win voters over with the right economic messages.
Working-class voters “are worried about rising gas prices, they’re worried about putting food on the table, they’re worried about having a roof over their heads because their wages aren’t keeping up,” Geevarghese said. “The closing argument at the end of the day must address this immediate material need.”
The White House believes there is room to talk about many priorities. On Tuesday, Chief of Staff Ron Klain responded to a tweet about Democrats’ focus on abortion versus the economy by previewing a speech Biden planned to deliver on gas prices.
“No either/or. @POTUS talked about abortion today and will talk about gas prices tomorrow,” Klain tweeted, confirming the government’s strategy of ramping up several issues ahead of November 8th.
Progressives say this approach poses a risk.
While acknowledging the merits of speaking out about the threat of Trump and attacking the GOP for dismantling democratic norms and women’s rights, they believe the economy must be at the forefront of the discussion. At least if the Democrats want a chance to win.
“You can’t give up on the issue that voters are overwhelmingly telling you you care about most and believe you’re going to win,” said Krystal Ball, a left-wing media figure and host of Breaking Points, a progressive podcast . “This is political misconduct.”
A New York Times poll in Siena found that 26 percent of respondents said the economy was their most important medium-term concern, while 18 percent said inflation was the most important. Abortions came in the single digits — just 5 percent.
Progressives agree that this campaign cycle will be won and lost on the economy. But her warnings have often been met with skepticism by fellow Democrats, who prefer to speak on a range of issues, including reproductive rights.
After the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade, Democrats hoped that by making abortion rights their unofficial platform, they would be able to challenge women, suburban voters and independents who would otherwise stay at home or vote for the GOP.
They have also tried to link abortion rights to the economy.
“Abortion is an economic issue that touches the lives of millions, and voters across the political spectrum recognize that our right to choose what is best for our own bodies and lives is fundamental,” Olivia Cappello, who leads state communications campaigns for planned parenthood elections, he wrote in an email to The Hill. “Poll after poll this election cycle has shown that abortion is a motivating factor for voters.”
Other polls show that voters aren’t necessarily making the connection between reproductive freedom and the economy — at least not yet. And some progressives have publicly expressed frustration at what they see as the party’s incoherent actions.
“The final argument that the democratic establishment is moving forward is more of a vision of fear: the attack on reproductive rights, the attack on our democracy is what you should be afraid of. You should vote because we’re not going to do any more draconian things,” Geevarghese said.
“I think fear is a mobilizing factor, but I would argue that hope should outweigh it. You have to have something to believe in, something to vote for. That’s what really motivates someone,” he said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is preparing to present this case to a national audience. He has embarked on a multi-state tour targeting Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas and Florida.
Sanders has criticized the party’s strategy of wooing working-class voters, which dates back to his 2016 bid by the insurgents against Hillary Clinton. He used much of the same message to re-energize voters in the 2020 open primary, and ended up winning a sizeable segment of low-income voters both times.
When asked by the New York Times how he sees the Democrats coming this cycle with that electorate — with no Biden or Trump on the ballot — he bluntly replied, “I think they’re doing pretty badly.”
Another leading progressive lawmaker, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), shared a similar sentiment.
“We need a better, sharper economic message,” Khanna told MSNBC’s Katy Tur. “We have a lot to do. I call it a new economic patriotism, that is, the Democrats are bringing manufacturing back home. We’re bringing supply chains back, and that’s actually going to help fight inflation.”
Even Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose guidance lawmakers and candidates rely on every cycle, pointed out that her party needs to refine the way it talks about inflation.
“Inflation is there, but it’s global and not as bad as in some countries. We need to communicate it better over the next three weeks,” she told Punchbowl News, adding, “I think we’re in great shape.”
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For their part, Republicans are refining what they think can drive enthusiasm. While Biden gave speeches about fuel costs and abortion rights this week, they see rising gas prices as a crucial issue.
GOP nominees have actually picked up steam in recent weeks as key Senate races in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have intensified.
“A year ago, Biden said he had no ‘quick fix’ answer to outrageously high gas prices,” said Tommy Pigott, the Republican National Committee’s rapid response director. “A gallon of gasoline was $3.37 back then. It’s $3.82 today.”
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