Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, who lost her bid for re-election this year, said President Obama could have done a better job helping Senate Democrats on the campaign trail by pitching how the economy’s progress since he first took office has helped the middle class.
“The president hasn’t used the bully pulpit to get that message out in a way that resonates with people,” Ms. Hagan said in an interview with the News and Observer/McClatchy. “And I think that’s an issue that the Democrats should not cede.”
“If you saw the tidal wave, it’s obvious it needed to be a national message,” she said.
Ms. Hagan’s comments present the latest explanation from Democrats on what they could have done better in the midterms; many, herself included, didn’t exactly rush to Mr. Obama’s defense on the campaign trail.
Ms. Hagan, who lost to Republican Sen.-elect Thom Tillis, pointed out that increasing the minimum wage, for example, has a lot of popular support, noting that four states approved ballot items on the issue.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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