House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists that polls showing a grim midterm elections outlook for her party are mistaken and that Democrats are “in great shape” for Election Day.
Pelosi made the comments in an interview with Punchbowl News released Wednesday, after polls from The New York Times and Associated Press indicated big gains for Republicans in the upcoming elections. The polls show that the top issues for Americans are the economy and inflation, and they trust Republicans to handle those issues better than Democrats.
Pelosi acknowledged that inflation is an issue, but dismissed its electoral impact.
“Inflation’s an issue, but it’s global. It’s global. … What’s their plan? They ain’t got nothing,” Pelosi told PBN of Republicans. “When you bring down unemployment, inflation goes up. … So in any case, [President Biden] brought unemployment [down], cut it in half. Inflation is thereby, but it’s global and not as bad as it is in some countries. We’ll have to message it better in the next three weeks ahead. I think we’re in great shape. Other people don’t want to believe that.”
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Pelosi argues that the abortion issue will have an outsized impact on the election, despite its waning importance to voters in polls.
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Monday’s NYT poll found that 26% of voters said the economy is their most important issue, followed by inflation and cost of living at 18%. Abortion came in third at just 5%. Immigration also landed at 5%, while crime rounded out the top five at 3%.
President Biden’s own polling numbers have dropped since Democrats first got a boost in the polls in July and August, falling to 39% on Monday. A Fox News Poll found that just 33% of voters would choose to re-elect the president.
MSNBC Host Andrea Mitchell confronted Pelosi with the abortion polling on Tuesday, but the California Democrat didn’t budge.
“I dismiss that,” Pelosi said. “I can tell you that women’s concerns about their freedom are very, very much still very significant in terms of how they will vote. In fact, 80% of people who care about a woman’s right to choose say they will – it will determine who they vote for.”
“This is about turnout. We know that the public is with us. But it’s about turnout. So I’m excited. We’ve outraised them,” she added. “Except for their big, dark money, which is endless.”
