What else they gonna do?
Democratic senators who represent presidential battlegrounds agree with President Biden — polls showing him trailing former President Trump in those key states are wrong.
Why it matters: The skepticism is especially notable because a number of Democrats from those states have a polling lead over their Republican opponents in pivotal Senate races.
- “No, I do not think that they are accurate,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told Axios. Her retirement has triggered one of the most competitive Senate races. Democrat Elissa Slotkin has been leading in early polls, even as Biden lags behind Trump.
- “The polls showed that I was down when I entered my race. And polls didn’t look that great for Angela Alsobrooks a couple weeks ago, but she won the primary heartedly,” Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) told Axios.
The big picture: After Trump’s 2016 expectation-defying win, pollsters and strategists made adjustments aimed at better capturing Trump supporters.
- Now, Democrats say the polls are missing key voter dynamics on their side.
- “There are certain communities that are missed,” added Warnock, who narrowly ousted Republican Kelly Loeffler in a 2021 runoff.
- Still, Democratic Senate candidates in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are running well ahead of Biden and lead their Republican rivals, according to the latest New York Times/Sienna survey.
What they’re saying: “It’s early,” Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.), who led Republican challenger David McCormick by five percentage points in the survey, told Axios.
- “Every candidate, whether it’s the president or me — we have to work every day to earn people’s votes.”…..
image….President Joe Biden walks with US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty