I don’t know if these midterms have a defining issue. In 2022, Democrats could frame everything around Roe v. Wade being overturned. It was a clear, deeply invested position that had shaped Democratic politics for decades. This year, I’d argue the issue is Iran — specifically what Iran has done to gas prices and how that has trickled into inflation. But it isn’t a natural issue for Democrats to capitalize on, and Republicans have no answer for it. Democratic messaging has become a poo-poo platter of affordability, Epstein, and corruption instead of one argument they can hit every day.
Republicans can point to low unemployment, a rising stock market, healthy retirement accounts, or the possibility of a golden age in manufacturing and software development. None of it matters. Ask the Biden administration. People want to know why groceries cost more, why diesel costs more, and why they’re spending more on everyday necessities. That’s it. That’s the entire game. Republicans could try to explain why the war with Iran was necessary, but nobody has done that.
