Democrats facing tightening polls are trying to pull off the political equivalent of the “Miracle in Maryland,” a Hail Mary pass Sunday in Landover from Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown so impressive it has its own Wikipedia page.
But can the incumbent party in the White House pull off a win, in seven battleground states in seven days, as the Commanders did with 10 seconds and a 52-yard pass?
Voters have made it pretty clear they want a change. More than a year ago, back when the presidential candidates were President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, nearly every poll showed Americans surveyed said they weren’t happy with their choices. And though Biden’s not on the ballot anymore and has been replaced at the top of the ticket by his vice president, Kamala Harris, his policies and the past four years are up for a vote.
Democrats are starting the final week until Election Day by trying to convince voters a lot of good came out of Biden’s term. His high unfavorable numbers and the numerous voters who say they are not better off now than they were four years ago continue to overshadow the Harris campaign and close Senate races in battleground states. On Tuesday, Biden made a presidential visit to Baltimore, a reliably blue city in a reliably blue state, to tout the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s no accident that Biden is highlighting infrastructure investments in the friendly terrain of Maryland instead of the battleground states where Harris and Democratic Senate candidates are running neck and neck with Republicans. He’s not seen as a welcome surrogate to woo undecided voters.
In Baltimore, he spoke about one of the most important issues for the city — replacing the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. But all he could do was renew the push for Congress to fully fund it and absorb 100% of the cost, easing the burden on Maryland which is running on fumes in its transportation budget. It’s up to federal lawmakers to make the call.
“We won’t stop until the new bridge is finished completely,” Biden said Tuesday at the Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore. “I call on Congress to fully fund it this year.”
The fate of the bridge funding could rest on the next president and session of Congress. Maryland won’t play a decisive role in the next winner of the White House, but it could face substantive aftershocks if Trump wins and doesn’t agree with Biden to fully fund the bridge replacement. Harris is likely to support the effort.
But her alliance with Biden is not necessarily seen as a strength in states other than those as blue as Maryland. Political opponents seized on her interview with The View when hosts asked her what she would have done differently from Biden, and she said, “Not a thing that comes to mind.” For an electorate craving change, Harris’ answer suggested she would deliver more of the same.
On Tuesday night, she made a closing argument on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., the site of Trump’s speech on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded a riot at the U.S. Capitol. But since that deadly and dark day in American history, Democrats have struggled to sway half the country against Trump with reminders of an insurrection. Voters are mad about the past, but not the way Democrats want them to be. Polls show most voters are fed up with the cost of living, as affordability is often the top issue driving people to the polls.
It likely won’t be a presidential visit to Baltimore, a Harris reminder on the Ellipse or an October surprise to change the polling margins in the presidential race. In the final days of the election, what seems to be gaining more traction against Trump is what a comedian said about Puerto Rico. Though Trump has said crueler things than Tony Hinchcliffe, the podcaster’s comments are angering voters in the bellwether counties of battleground states.
Trump and Harris are locked in a dead heat if polls, packed rallies and yard signs are to be believed. And voters remain frustrated with the seasoned politicians on the ballot.
Maybe it takes a rookie.
Got a news tip? Politics editor Candy Woodall can be reached at [email protected], 443-571-1113 and on X as @candynotcandace.
