Approval of Biden on the economy has tracked almost perfectly with approval of him overall. Right now, his economic approval is in the low 40s, just as it is overall. In the early summer, it was in the low 50s — as it was overall then, too.
A low 37% say that Biden and his fellow Democrats are focusing on the issues they care a lot about.
This jibes with what voters say about infrastructure. A major part of Biden’s agenda is the infrastructure plan that has passed the Senate. But just 27% of voters put infrastructure down as a major concern of theirs.
You can contrast it to climate change, too. Combating climate change is part of Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which is the other bill Democrats are trying to pass through Congress. A mere 35% of voters say that’s an extremely important concern of theirs.
Though there are other parts of the Build Back Better plan that poll quite well, the overall perception of the deal is one that won’t be particularly helpful to the economy. Only about 40% of Americans say the Build Back Better plan would help them or the nation’s economy.
Of course, economic troubles aren’t just a national issue.
Indeed, one of the biggest edges Youngkin has over McAuliffe on any issue is the economy and jobs. By a 5-point margin, more voters trust Youngkin over McAuliffe on the economy. The only issue on which Youngkin holds a larger advantage is taxes, which is another economic issue.
The fact that the economy is playing such a large role both nationally and Virginia shouldn’t be a surprise when taking the long historical view. Normally, the economy plays a predominant role in our politics. It’s just that over the last five years, amid the entirety of the Trump administration and the coronavirus pandemic, the economy seemed to take a back seat.
After nine months of the Biden administration, though, what the American electorate is saying is a sign that our politics are becoming a little more normal again.
Read More:Why Biden’s flailing: It’s the economy, stupid
2021-10-23 15:23:00