As we head into Labor Day weekend, the 2022 midterm season is winding down, though a lot of time remains on the clock for candidates to either seal the deal or sow the seeds of their destruction. In some races, the entire dynamic can be altered irreparable based on one debate performance, which is something that Democrat John Fetterman’s team knows in Pennsylvania. Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, has been recovering from a stroke, and it’s painfully evident from his recent campaign stops. The man cannot put sentences together, which is why Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz desperately wants a debate or three.
The jobs report today showed that the unemployment rate ticked up, we’re still in an economic recession, and inflation remains at historic highs. So, why are Democrats cheering? Joe Biden’s approvals finally entered the 40s, but that was a fleeting event. He’s back into the high 30s, and that’s from heavy Democrat-leaning polls. The New York Times chucked a wet blanket on the buoyed hopes that Democrats are seeing. Election Day is still weeks away, and there is a gross misinterpretation of events occurring among media and Democratic Party operatives regarding things like the Alaska at-large special election and the Kansas abortion initiative.
Blake Hounshell penned an excellent article that tempered liberal hopes, noting that a deluge of Republican cash is coming, which is essential for late-stage media buys. The Republican establishment has, for the most part, this cycle remained idle, with Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who has been tasked with retaking the upper chamber, blowing it. He altered the allocation regarding fundraising and has diverted significant amounts of cash to bolster his political position. Hounshell added that when Mitch McConnell appeared to cede defeat in the GOP’s 2022 Senate hunt, blaming “candidate quality,” he was also taking a stab at Scott for refusing to weed out alleged extremist candidates. And by that, we mean die-hard Trump candidates or those whose lack of experience, an aspect that seems to rub McConnell the wrong way.