Politics

Even Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Can Read The Writing On The Wall For Democrats In 2022

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
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Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned Democrats are in deep water in the upcoming midterm elections, calling on President Joe Biden to take more action.

Ocasio-Cortez warned that the president’s low approval ratings and the tendency for the incumbent executive’s party to lose seats could cause Democrats to lose control of the House in the midterms, according to a New York Magazine article published Tuesday. She argued these low polling numbers require the strengthening of the progressive base in order to keep Democrats in power.

“We need to acknowledge that this isn’t just about middle of the road, an increasingly narrow band of independent voters,” she said. “This is really about the collapse of support among young people, among the Democratic base, who are feeling that they worked overtime to get this president elected and aren’t necessarily being seen.”

The New York representative, along with other Congressional Progressive Caucus members, have urged Biden to issue executive orders on environmental and immigration protections, canceling student loan debt and lowering health care costs, the outlet reported.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 12: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) greets supporters during the 'Get Out the Vote' rally on February 12, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) alongside candidates Jessica Cisneros and Greg Casar gathered and rallied with supporters ahead of the Democratic March primaries. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Ocasio-Cortez also criticized the “lack of Latino representation” on the state and local levels, particularly on the issues facing their community, New York Magazine reported. (RELATED: Biden Says Upcoming Elections Could ‘Easily Be Illegitimate’)

“I think it’s really disgraceful, frankly, the lack of Latino representation. And the thing is that this isn’t just about identity representation, it’s also about issue representation. Frankly, even with the mayor, some of his Latino appointments have been homophobic and have been unrepresentative of the interests of our broader community. Even on the state level, there is an enormous dearth of real representation of people fighting for Latinos,” she said.

Biden’s approval rating fell to only 34% giving him a favorable rating, while 54% of Americans said they disapprove of his job handling, according to a Grinnell College National poll released March 22. Grinnell College National Poll director Peter Hanson said he thinks the high disapproval rating is likely due to Americans’ frustrations with the economy. (RELATED: Democrats Are Starting To Panic After Poll Shows Party Losing Influence Over Hispanic Voters)

An Axios-Ipsos poll conducted between March 7 and March 18 found that inflation has caused Latino support for the Democratic Party to fall. The president’s favorability among Latino voters fell from 53% to 49% since December 2021. Many respondents said they felt that the Republican Party was stronger on the economy.

A March 11 Wall Street Journal poll found that the Democrats have lost the trust of voters on key issues as the midterm elections near. Over half of voters, 57%, said they disapproved of Biden’s performance amid inflation and high gas prices, which have both reached record-high levels in recent months. Voters also indicated that they no longer trust Democrats to handle COVID-19 and public education issues to the extent as in the WSJ’s prior polling in November 2021.

The WSJ poll also found that Republicans hold a 5-point advantage over Democrats on which party voters would back in the midterm elections for Congress.