ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran was less confident about the Democratic Party’s candidates this November during "This Week" Sunday.
The main topic was the 2022 midterm elections which are less than one month away and could decide which political party will control Congress. Though co-moderator Martha Raddatz remarked on recent rebounding efforts by Democratic candidates over the summer, Moran claimed that the time has long passed.
"Nope, I think the air went out of that balloon," Moran responded.
He said the economic issues including rising prices and inflation rates will likely take priority for most voters heading to the polls in November.
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"In part because, look, the economy is so tough for so many people, food prices, rent, spiking, if they've got retirement funds, those are evaporating and even the issue of abortion, which did drive several special elections in that remarkable referendum result in Kansas, while there are millions for whom that will be the number one issue, I just think the economic headwinds are so tough," Moran said.
He also added that President Biden, though no longer at his lowest approval rating, has lost his "oomph" as a candidate.
"People don't really want [Biden] around, and he can't really make his case that I don't think the Democrats are in any better place and I would also say, in this country and in other countries polls are broken, right? It is clear that lots of people on the right just don't answer anymore. They were worse in 2020 than they were in 2016 and so you look at those polls, it's close. If it's close it's a Republican win," Moran said.
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Recent polls placed Biden at a 44% approval rate, a three-point increase from September though three points behind his highest approval rate from March. Despite this, 69% of Americans agreed with the opinion that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction.
A Fox News poll from September found inflation/high prices as the highest issue motivating people to vote at 19% with abortion behind at 16%.
However, New York Times podcast host Jane Coaston countered Moran’s claim, remarking that Republicans do not market themselves as an adequate alternative.
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"What I keep thinking is, what are they voting for, then? I know that it’s midterm election and in general midterm election are ‘we don’t like this guy’ elections, but with the Republican Party, what are they offering in comparison? What’s their fix on inflation? Their fix on inflation is ‘let’s scream some more about books in schools.’ And so, I think that for a lot of American voters you can see why there’s increased interest in Libertarian Party candidates and third-party candidates because you see these two sides who offer very few actual solutions and you have Republicans seemingly rooting for a recession," Coaston said.
