The Importance of Supporting Democrats in The 2022 Midterms

There is only a little over a month before the midterm elections that will determine the fate of the latter half of Biden’s first term. According to FiveThirtyEight, as of September 21, Democrats are favored to maintain control of the Senate, while Republicans are favored to gain control of the House. Currently, the Democrats control both chambers of Congress. The present state of midterm elections has changed a lot from six months ago. Events such as the Dobbs ruling from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, this past June, and the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, a popular spending package aimed at fighting inflation, has pushed the election into a more favorable territory for the Democratic party. However, this favorable swing has been slowed by high inflation numbers and low, but increasing, job approval ratings for the Biden administration. All of these factors mean that these midterm elections should be treated like a toss-up where either side could win. The uncertain nature of this election makes it even more important to consider what is at stake. And ultimately, despite Conservative arguments about inflation and crime, it is critical to support Democratic candidates this November because if Republicans gain control of either chamber of Congress or take control of more governor’s mansions, they will put democracy at risk and block much-needed reform-minded legislation.

Many Republican candidates running for office have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election and would put our democracy at risk if they get voted into office. According to an analysis done by CNN, more than half of Senate Republican nominees have “rejected, cast doubt upon or tried to overturn the 2020 election results.” The list of candidates includes many Republican Senate nominees in hotly contested states like Blake Masters of Arizona, Herschel Walker of Georgia, and Don Bolduc of New Hampshire. Furthermore, the Republican candidate running for governor in Massachusetts, Geoff Diehl, has also claimed that the 2020 election was stolen. These candidates have directly taken their cues from the leader of their party, Donald Trump, who himself has repeatedly rejected the results of the 2020 presidential election. The danger if these candidates win their elections this November is that they will likely work again in 2024 to undermine the results of a free and fair election, particularly if the Democrats win. Furthermore, if these election-denying candidates are voted into office, then it will send a message from the American people, or at least the people of those states, that they support Trump’s brand of anti-democratic rhetoric and actions. Ultimately, these Republican candidates are dangerous to democracy and must be rejected by the voters.

If Republican candidates are swept into office this November, they are likely to pass regressive laws on the state level and stop progressive legislation on the federal level. One potent example is reproductive rights. After the Dobbs decision last June, many Republican-controlled states have passed anti-choice legislation that has stripped millions of women of the right to choose and regulate their own bodies. If GOP candidates win office, they are likely to try and pass anti-choice legislation in more states or even aim for a complete federal ban on abortion, bringing America back to a time before many of our teachers were even alive. Democrats have also had numerous accomplishments which would stop if Republicans were to gain control of either chamber of Congress. One example of Democrats' achievements is the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. This act poured billions of dollars into fighting the climate crisis and out-of-control medical costs, as well as making the wealthiest Americans pay closer to their fair share of taxes. How Americans vote this November will decide whether legislative progress comes to a screeching halt or if Democrats will be allowed to advance their agenda towards a more equal, prosperous future.

Republicans have argued that Americans should reject the Democratic agenda because Democrats have led to higher inflation and more crime. John Thune, a current Senator for South Dakota, argued in a recent press statement that “Democrats helped trigger this ongoing inflation problem last year when they decided to pour trillions of unnecessary government dollars into the economy.” This argument of excess government spending falls short when people consider that Trump spent 1.5 trillion more than Biden in year-over-year spending between 2020 and 2021. Admittedly, that extra money spent by the Trump administration was necessary to support the American economy through the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that difference shows that if anyone is to blame for spending too much money, it would be the Trump-backed GOP, not the Democrats and Joe Biden. Other factors like Russia’s war in Ukraine, supply shortages, and the federal reserve’s initial position on inflation being “transitory” have all had a far greater impact on increasing inflation than Joe Biden. The Republicans' other main argument against Democrats is that America’s liberal party is at fault for higher crime rates. This argument against Democrats is not empirically-based, as crime rates first rose significantly during the start of the pandemic in 2020, under Trump’s watch. Furthermore, evidence that Democrats are not at fault for increasing crime rates is also present at the local level. According to Anna Harvey, a professor of politics at New York University, “there’s no evidence at all that violent crime increased more in cities that were Democrat relative to cities that were led by Republican mayors.” Clearly, the recent rise in crime and inflation is not the fault of Democrats.

Any Republican candidates who get sworn into office next January will represent a great threat to American democracy and to the Democrats’ agenda of greater equality and prosperity. The vast majority of high schoolers are under the age of 18 and are therefore not able to vote; however, students do have the ability to urge others to vote for candidates that represent their own set of values. That reason is why it is critical for high school students to donate their time to help candidates they support win elections. While there are not any competitive elections in Massachusetts, right across state lines in New Hampshire, Democrat Maggie Hassan is facing off against the election-denying Republican Don Bolduc in a relatively close race. In that race, people can sign up to campaign for the Hassan campaign and spend a Saturday going door knocking in southern New Hampshire. Regardless of political leaning, there is a part for everyone in our great democratic process, and it is up to individuals to take advantage of these opportunities to fight for what they believe in for this midterm election and beyond.