Can Democrats Turn Their 2022 Around?

<p>With the midterms just over six months away, the electoral outlook for Democrats is looking bleak. President Biden’s approval rating is <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/329384/presidential-approval-ratings-joe-biden.aspx" target="_blank">at 42 percent</a>, around where Donald Trump’s was at this point in his presidency. <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/generic-ballot/" target="_blank">Recent polls</a> asking whether Americans want Republicans or Democrats in Congress found that Republicans are leading by about 2 percentage points. And with inflation spiking to its highest point in decades, Covid cases rising and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continuing to send economic and humanitarian shock waves across the globe, things don’t look as if they are going to get better anytime soon.</p><p>What will it take for Democrats to turn things around? What fights should they be picking with Republicans, and how should they be making the case that they deserve another chance at leading the country?</p><p>Sean McElwee is a co-founder and the executive director of <a href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/" target="_blank">Data for Progress</a>, a research organization that gathers polling data to strategize on behalf of progressive causes and policies. Anat Shenker-Osorio is a principal at <a href="https://www.asocommunications.com/" target="_blank">ASO Communications</a>, a political communications firm that conducts analytic and empirical research to help progressive political campaigns. McElwee and Shenker-Osorio have deeply influenced my thinking on how words work in American politics: how campaigns can meaningfully address what voters want and how they can persuade swing voters and motivate the party’s base.</p><p>In this conversation, McElwee and Shenker-Osorio help me understand where Democrats stand with the electorate and what, if anything, they can do to improve their chances in 2022. We discuss why Biden’s approval rating is so low, given the popularity of his policies, why governing partie