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Democrats and Republicans have just 99 days left to convince you to vote for their candidates in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. On Sunday, party leaders previewed their messaging strategies to do just that - Democrats are hammering affordability, while Republicans are running on Trump.
In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) rallied with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Bob Brooks - the Democratic House nominee in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District - at an event marking 100 days out from the midterms, and revealed the Democrats' new campaign tagline: "Fighting for an affordable America."
Affordability is top of mind for voters this cycle - 54 percent of respondents to a Post-Ipsos poll said the economy and prices were the most important issue of the midterms - and Democrats are hoping it will be what breaks apart the coalition that delivered the White House and control of both chambers of Congress to Trump and Republicans in 2024.
"When you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live a middle-class life, a comfortable life, an affordable life, live a good life," Jeffries said. "Everyday Americans are drowning in the Republican economy."
The rally in Bethlehem also showcased Democrats' other major strategy to dismantle that coalition: running candidates with working-class bona fides.
As Dan reported earlier this month, the Democratic Party prioritized recruiting candidates with working-class backgrounds for elections up and down the ballot. Brooks, with his past as a firefighter and a union leader, is precisely the type of candidate Democrats hope will attract voters who may have been turned off by the Democratic Party in the last few election cycles. (He has also served as an example of how less polished "salt-of-the-earth" candidates can come with some baggage.)
Brooks delivered a speech Sunday focusing on how his background makes him well suited to represent the blue-collar voters of Pennsylvania's 7th district, saying that he has spent time on food stamps, lived in public housing and struggled to make medical bill payments.
"It's time that we had somebody representing the Lehigh Valley in Congress who actually understands the challenges working people are facing," Brooks said. "I understand them, because I've lived them."
Republicans' midterm messaging is more complicated. Trump is determined to make alleged election fraud a top issue this cycle, not a very popular move among Republican politicians. The Iran war remains unpopular among voters, and its economic impact - oil prices are up once again as the conflict heats back up - makes it difficult to tout what Republicans see as their biggest economic wins.
Responding to voter concerns without earning Trump's ire by running against his policies has put Republican candidates between a rock and a hard place. But GOP leaders have made it clear that between those two tough options, they're picking Trump.
"We have the resources, the candidates, and the best messenger in the history of our party - President Donald J. Trump," Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement.
Republicans lost their House majority in 2018 partially due to low turnout from Trump supporters. Some in the party hope they can avoid a repeat of that by keeping the spotlight squarely on Trump. To that end, Republicans are also holding a first-of-its-kind midterm national convention in September, with Trump front and center.
It's rare for the party that holds the White House to perform strongly in the midterms - something even Gruters acknowledged in his statement - and Democrats are currently polling 3 percentage points ahead of Republicans among registered voters.
And Republicans have a new voter phenomenon they're worrying about - read on to "What We're Watching" to learn more.
(COMMENT, BELOW)
Previously:
• What do lawmakers owe constituents during lengthy absences?