Since the political party out of power generally does better in Midterm Elections, it would seem Democrats are in a good position to make gains in the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and governors’ mansions in 2018. The party’s tendency to focus on issues that play well with its fringe base instead of kitchen table issues, however, may complicate their chances even more than the fact that they face a map of states and districts President Donald Trump won in 2016.
One of the latest priorities of the far-left of the Democratic Party, like California gazillionaire Tom Steyer, is to impeach Mr. Trump. But how does this play with those outside the radical fringe? According to a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, only 42% of registered voters say they would “definitely vote for” a candidate for Congress who wants to move to impeach the president, while 47% say they would “definitely vote against” that candidate. Democrats, unsurprisingly, favor this move: 70% percent of registered Democrats say they would support a candidate who wants to impeach the president while 18% say they would vote against that candidate. Meanwhile, 84% of Republicans would “definitely vote against” any candidate who wants to impeach the president. Independents – key to victory for either major party – reflect the national sentiment. Forty-seven percent say they would vote against a candidate looking to impeach Mr. Trump, while 42% say they would support such a candidate.
Republicans can capitalize on this misstep, emphasizing achievements on the economy and foreign policy as well as their views on issues like tax reform, regulation and education. On Election Day, candidates who speak to voters about the issues ordinary Americans care about the most will have the advantage. Perhaps Democrats should reevaluate what they believe those issues to be and drop impeachment from their list of talking points.
