Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie warned Sunday that the overwhelming drop of Independent voters’ support for Democrats will have consequences in the 2022 midterm elections.
“The next election is always the most important election, right? The Democrats went from plus 12 among Independents in 2018 to minus 18 among Independents in our poll,” Christie told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” “We learned in 2018 and 2020, it’s those Independents that determine the swing elections.”
“They elected Joe Biden in 2020 and now Democrats are deeply underwater with those Independents and I think it’s because he’s not governing as he campaigned.”
“He is not governing as he campaigned…His rhetoric and most of his actions have been to the left and voters are responding to that,” @GovChristie tells @GStephanopoulos as Pres. Biden’s approval rating hits new low in @ABC News/WaPo poll. https://t.co/RItVNJ4ICs pic.twitter.com/rKraQXkeZq
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 14, 2021
The former governor said Independent and moderate voters are responding to Biden’s shift to the “way left” despite running as the moderate candidate in the 2020 presidential primary election. (RELATED: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Take Massive Hit In Polls After Democratic Election Losses)
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed the House on the evening of Nov. 6 with the support of thirteen Republican representatives. The Senate passed the legislation in August with a bipartisan 69-30 vote with the support of nineteen Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The bill currently awaits passage from the White House, which Biden is expected to sign this week.
Biden has faced backlash for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in August, the highest level of inflation in 30 years, and the supply chain crisis. The president’s approval ratings have continually decreased in recent months, reaching as low as 38% in early October.
Biden’s most recent approval ratings stand at 41%, while 53% of those surveyed disapprove of the president’s job performance, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll. The poll surveyed 1,001 adults by the phone between Nov. 7-10 with a 3.5% margin of error.
The poll also said only 31% of participants believe the president has kept his campaign promises and 35% believe he has accomplished much during his time in office.
An Oct. 20 Grinnell-Selzer poll found that former President Donald Trump led Biden among Independent voters with a 45% to 28% margin. Biden held a significant standing among Independents with a 54% to 41% margin during the 2020 presidential election.
