Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said it was too late for Republicans to sway voters with messaging on the economy.
“The election is Nov. 3, people don’t change their attitudes that quickly, most voters have long ago made up their minds how they’re voting in this election,” York said Monday on Fox Business’s Kudlow.
Historically, the president’s approval rating has been a good indicator of how midterm elections will unfold. York said, current polling doesn’t show favorable odds for Republicans and President Donald Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday found that Trump’s approval rating remained unchanged at 32%, matching his rating in the polling center’s survey last month.
“If you look at the RealClearPolitics average of polls of President Trump’s job approval rating on handling the economy, it is 33.7% approval,” York said. “If you look at his job approval overall, it’s 38.4%. These are not the kind of numbers that allow the president’s party to pick up seats in Congress.”
York said the “ugly reality” is that despite Republicans’ ability to make a case highlighting economic improvements, the message comes too close to the election. However, there were still opportunities for the GOP to salvage some of the support they’ve gotten, York said.
Vice President JD Vance traveled to Florida and reminded voters that they aren’t paying taxes on Social Security benefits thanks to Trump and Republican control of Congress, York said.
“You’d have to think that’s a pretty solid argument to make,” York said.
DEMOCRATS EXPAND TARGET LIST AS POLLS POINT IN THEIR FAVOR
Despite policies like no tax on tips and no tax on Social Security, York said many voters aren’t feeling the relief because they don’t address the main costs that affect every voter.
“A lot of this comes down to two things, which is the price of gas, and some people for diesel, and the price of food,” York said.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
