A Democratic strategist sparred with a former aide to former Vice President Mike Pence Sunday over the Democrats’ messaging in the midterm elections.
Longtime Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen expressed frustration over the Democrats’ messaging, saying the party should have listened to the voters’ economic woes rather than warning that “democracy is at stake.” She also pointed to President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings as being a bad sign for Democrats in Tuesday’s upcoming election.
A tense exchange broke out when former Pence strategist Marc Short argued that Democrats have ignored the issues of inflation and the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I feel like [Republican Senate candidate] Blake Masters is gonna win Arizona because reality is that the border is a serious issue down there and to Hilary’s point, the Democrats have not talked about how, what we’re gonna do to fix inflation at a 40-year high, what are we gonna do to control the border, what are we gonna do to handle crime?” Short said.
“No, it’s not because of facts, Marc,” Rosen argued. “I don’t think we’re in trouble because of facts—”
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“Oh, I do,” Short interjected. “I think you’re in huge trouble because of facts.”
“I think it’s because of messaging,” she continued. “You guys were in office for a longtime and did nothing about it.”
“The reality is, inflation is at a 40-year high because of specifically the spending policies of Democrats,” he said. “The border crisis, we fixed the border, the border is out of control because of what you guys have done.”
Rosen argued that Americans prefer Democrats’ economic policies to Republicans, but have not carried out the policies.
“You’re kidding yourself if you think that,” Short responded.
Polls have consistently found that the economy and inflation are the most significant issues for voters in the midterm elections. Most voters currently believe that Republicans are better able to tackle inflation than Democrats, who currently control the legislative and executive branches. (RELATED: 93% Of Voters Concerned With Inflation, According To Poll)
A Rasmussen poll found that 48% of likely voters intend to vote Republican, while 41% have said they will vote Democrat. Republicans have also gained massive momentum among Independent voters, with this particular poll finding that 46% plan to vote for the GOP in comparison to 30% planning to vote Democrat. The poll was conducted on Oct. 9 through Oct. 13 and has a margin of sampling error of +/-2 percentage points.