Biden says Democrat election loss in Virginia wasn’t due to his presidency – National

U.S. President Joe Biden stated Wednesday the Democrats’ setbacks in Tuesday’s elections underscore that the celebration must “produce for the American folks,” however he pushed again towards the notion that the off-year election outcomes had been a repudiation of his presidency.

Biden advised that his incapacity to get Congress to move a $1 trillion infrastructure deal and a $1.75 trillion bundle of social and local weather applications forward of the voting didn’t make a distinction.

In Virginia’s governor’s race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe misplaced to first-time Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in a state that Biden gained by 10 proportion factors a 12 months in the past.

“I believe we must always have handed it earlier than Election Day,“ Biden stated. ”However I’m unsure that I’d have been in a position to change” folks’s minds in Republican-leaning areas both manner.

He added that, “individuals are upset and unsure about quite a lot of issues” together with the pandemic, the job market and the worth of a gallon of gasoline.

Biden made the feedback to reporters after delivering remarks to spotlight what he stated was a “nice day” within the combat towards coronavirus pandemic as youngsters 5 to 11 grew to become eligible to start receiving the preventive vaccine.

It was a spot of fine information for Biden who returned to Washington early Wednesday from Europe to the information that McAuliffe was narrowly defeated by Youngkin, a first-time candidate and former government with the non-public fairness agency Carlyle Group. And Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was caught in an unexpectedly shut race for reelection in New Jersey, a state Biden gained by 16 proportion factors.

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Why Virginia’s shut governor race is seen as a check for Biden

White Home officers famous that whereas Virginia has trended Democratic in recent times, the sitting president’s celebration has misplaced the governor’s race in 11 of 12 elections there.

Earlier than leaving Glasgow on Tuesday, Biden made the case that “the off-year is all the time unpredictable” and that he had seen no proof that whether or not “my agenda handed or not goes to have any actual influence on profitable or shedding” the 2 governor’s races.

Biden’s polling has fallen in current weeks, one thing he blames on coronavirus fatigue among the many American public. On the identical time, rising costs and provide points are impacting American households and the political temper.

However the president stated these drags could possibly be within the rearview mirror lengthy earlier than midterm elections a 12 months from now if Democrats come collectively on his agenda.

“If I’m in a position to move, signal into legislation, my Construct Again Higher initiative, I’m able the place you’re going to see quite a lot of these issues ameliorated shortly and swiftly,” Biden stated.