Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania each have Democrats who have the potential to reverse a crippling loss of working-class support in the industrial Midwest, writes RossBarkan
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer. Photos: Getty Images There have been plenty of laments about the state of the Democratic Party heading into 2024. Party operatives and pols are fearful that Joe Biden will be too old or politically damaged to run successfully for reelection. His vice-president, Kamala Harris, is even more unpopular than he is, and the bench of Democrats prepared to step in isn’t inspiring a great deal of confidence.
The midterm environment will be rough on all Democrats, as it always is on whatever party holds the White House. Compounding the headwind for Democrats is inflation, especially gas prices. While other sectors of the economy should offer relief for consumers in the coming months — used-car prices are falling and the real-estate market might cool — there is little evidence Americans won’t be paying at least $4 a gallon for gas come November.
More crucial, perhaps, is that Whitmer could luck out like Senator Gary Peters did in 2014, when he breezed to victory in his first Senate campaign while Democrats were routed across the country. He benefited, in part, from scandal-scarred and feckless Republican opposition. In her case, five Republican candidates for governor were recently purged from the ballot for allegedly submitting fraudulent signatures.
Though most known for his imposing frame, copious tattoos, and affinity for wearing shorts wherever he goes, Fetterman is a much savvier politician than he appears at first glance. An endorser of Bernie Sanders for president in 2016, Fetterman has retained grassroots progressive support by backing a $15 minimum wage and ending the filibuster while subtly pivoting to reach voters beyond the young left.