Inflation, rising crime and the border surge are positioning Republicans for even bigger midterm gains than they'd imagined just months ago.
Why it matters: President Biden has preached bipartisanship. Strident Democrats are pushing for hard-left positions enacted through their control of Congress and the White House. But the daily headlines are boosting the GOP's arguments as it seeks to regain control of at least one chamber in 2022.
- One early salvation for Democrats — their handling of the coronavirus pandemic — is turning into a liability as the Delta variant threatens school reopenings, a return to mask mandates and a new wave of shutdowns.
- "This administration has mismanaged the economy, mismanaged the border, mismanaged crime in the cities, and people are noticing and are very disturbed by it. Take a look at any of the poll numbers," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, told Axios.
- Barrasso said he circulated internal polling data on these issues during a conference meeting last Tuesday. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chairman of the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Axios his group's internal polling shows similar results.
What to watch: These issues are dominating headlines as members of Congress are heading home to campaign in their districts during the August recess....
- At the forefront is the Democrats' plan to use their majorities to pass a $3.5 trillion "soft" infrastructure bill on top of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan "hard" infrastructure bill.
- The monster spending is really resonating with voters — in a bad way, spokesmen for the GOP's House and Senate campaign arms tell Axios.
- Both organizations say this should be the No. 1 issue Republicans