House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she is confident Democrats will keep their majority in the lower chamber come November, despite domestic challenges the party faces that show falling voter confidence in their leadership ahead of the midterm elections.
Mrs. Pelosi acknowledged inflation, high gasoline prices and the baby formula shortage are issues confronting her party, but insisted they would not lead to defeat at the ballot box.
“I have absolutely no intention of the Democrats not winning the House in November,” Mrs. Pelosi told reporters, defending President Biden as a “great” president. ” … I don’t know about polls, but I do know about winning races one district at a time.”
The California Democrat noted that her party helped pass two bills on Wednesday that would address the nationwide baby formula shortage. The speaker also said members are working on a plan to combat inflation, citing the need to pass a bill to protect the U.S.’s competitive edge in the face of the challenge from a rising China.
Mrs. Pelosi’s comments come amid big concerns by voters about inflation and gas prices. A recent Morning Consult poll found that 40% of Americans said the Biden administration was “very responsible” for the current high inflation rates.
The poll, which surveyed 2,005 registered voters from May 13 to May 16, also found 43% of Americans said Republicans would do a better job handling inflation than Democrats, compared to 38% who said Democrats could better address the problem.
Republicans, who need a net gain of five seats to retake the House, have consistently made inflation a campaign issue, tying vulnerable Democrats to rising costs.
The Morning Consult poll had a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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