President Joe Biden’s approval rating is underwater in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, two states the president plans to visit on Labor Day to boost the Democrats’ midterm hopes.
Biden announced he will visit the states while polling shows the Senate races are tightening. In Pennsylvania, radical Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) is leading Trump-endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) by about 5 points. Polling is a bit tighter in Wisconsin, where radical Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is leading Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) by 2 points.
Biden’s appearance in both states may not benefit Fetterman or Barnes. Biden’s polling among Pennsylvania voters is 17 points underwater (37 approve – 54 disapprove). Among Wisconsin voters, Biden’s approval rating is 15 points underwater (39 approve – 54 disapprove).
While Fetterman has agreed to campaign with Biden on Labor Day, he will reportedly not meet with Biden on Tuesday, the president’s first of two visits to the state in a week. It is unclear if Barnes will meet with Biden in Wisconsin. Biden’s underwater polling in both states is likely a deterring factor for both campaigns.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 07: Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes who is running to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. senate speaks during a campaign event at The Wicked Hop on August 07, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Barnes is expected to win the primary on Tuesday and face incumbent GOP Senator Ron Johnson in the general election in November. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Fetterman and Barnes seem to be dueling one another for who is the most radical candidate in 2022. Barnes has advocated for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), permitting driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, giving in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants, and defunding “over-bloated” police departments. He favors an entirely government-run healthcare system, canceling the Senate filibuster, and packing the Supreme Court. Barnes has objected to felons losing the right to vote and has supported the Green New Deal.
“In order to address this crisis and the environmental injustices associated with it, we must take urgent action, and we must ensure those actions are equitable and inclusive—anything less will continue the long pattern of environmental racism we have witnessed in this country,” Barnes has stated.
ERIE, PA – AUGUST 12: Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks during a rally at the Bayfront Convention Center on August 12, 2022 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Fetterman made his return to the campaign trail in Erie after recovering from a stroke he suffered in May. (Photo by Nate Smallwood/Getty Images)
Fetterman has pushed “safe” heroin injection sites. Fetterman believes it is “important that we as a society” provide government-funded drug dens, and also decriminalize drugs “across the board,” including meth and heroin. The Democrat candidate also wants shortened prison sentences for murder, and protective sanctuary cities for people who enter the nation illegally.
“Any Democrat that doesn’t agree with this policy is pandering to xenophobia. Sanctuary cities ensure the safety and well-being of everybody,” Fetterman stated about Philadelphia’s sanctuary city status.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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