Democrats in Tight Races Turn to Jill Biden on the Campaign Trail
New York TimesOct 17, 2022
The Facts
Over this past weekend, First Lady Jill Biden made three political appearances to support Democratic candidates in Georgia and Florida ahead of the midterm elections. She's considered the president's most popular stand-in for raising funds and morale as the elections approach.
On Friday, she spoke to about 75 donors to Georgia's gubernatorial challenger Stacey Abrams' One Georgia Leadership Committee, praising the candidate as a "tireless champion" of families. Early voting starts this Monday, with polls showing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in the lead.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Jill Biden is an asset to the Democrats ahead of the midterm elections, mainly for her appeal to suburban women and working-class Americans. She isn't a polarizing political figure and can invigorate supporters in close races and fundraise. It's perfect timing for her strong push across the US.
Republican narrative
Jill Biden's dive into midterms shows the desperation of the Democrats who know they're in trouble come November. After comparing Latinos to "breakfast tacos," she failed to say "LGBTQ" twice and ironically claimed that Crist would defeat DeSantis during a low-attended rally in Orlando. Her road show forecasts that the GOP will be extremely successful in just a few weeks.
Nerd narrative
There's a 43% chance that Democrats will control the Senate and Republicans will control the House following the 2022 midterm elections, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
