Democrat leadership has started condemning the decisions of the Biden administration after receiving a historic defeat in Tuesday’s Virginia gubernatorial election.
Stopping the infrastructure bill cost Democrats the Virginia governorship
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said they warned their colleagues in advance about the election results. Kaine said he and Warner told Democrats if they failed to act in a prompt way, they would lose the Virginia elections.
Kaine further added the main burden of this mighty loss lies on the shoulders of those lawmakers who did not pass the infrastructure bill.
In Virginia’s loss, moderate Democrats are now finding an opportunity to threaten progressives so they pass the infrastructure legislation immediately and send it to Biden’s desk.
This is the reason why Dick Durban, a Democrat senator from Illinois, also said this election defeat should serve the purpose of accelerating the lawmakers in passing Biden’s economic agenda.
Mark Warner, reacting to his party's losses in Virginia: “Only in Washington, do people think that it is a smart strategy to take a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and prevent your President from signing that bill into law. And that's somehow a good strategy."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 3, 2021
Warner called Democrats to lead in a “pragmatic way” to fast-track the passing of the bipartisan infrastructure legislation. Likewise, Warner added he was being taunted when he campaigned for Democrats in the Virginia election.
Kaine expressed optimism that Democrats will learn their lessons from this defeat to make a comeback in the upcoming elections. President Biden also conceded defeat in the Virginia elections, saying voters are “upset and uncertain,” due to the pandemic that has devastated the livelihoods of many.
Likewise, Biden said the passing of his Build Back Better agenda before Election Day could have changed the results in Democrats’ favor.
The only Democrat senator who is avoiding passing the social reconciliation bill, Joe Manchin, also voiced his concerns after Democrats’ defeat against Republicans in Virginia.
Manchin argued that most of the voters in Virginia reflect the ideology of the voters in his home state of West Virginia. Manchin further added these people are concerned about inflation above anything else, which is the reason Democrats lost the gubernatorial race.
Progressives don’t believe stopping infrastructure legislation played any role in election loss
Contrary to the popular perception, progressives have denied the notion the infrastructure bill contributed to Democrats’ loss in Virginia elections.
The chairwoman of the progressive caucus in Congress, Pramila Jayapal, said stopping one bill cannot reduce Democrats’ vote bank in the state by 12 percent.
.@RepJayapal discusses where progressives stand on the "Build Back Better" package and the bipartisan infrastructure plan as talks continue. She also reacts to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe's loss in Virginia ahead of the midterms.https://t.co/dJidqqARi6
— Stephanie Ruhle Reports (@RuhleOnMSNBC) November 3, 2021
Instead, she believes all the political advertisements she saw against Democrat nominee Terry McAuliffe were based on his educational policies, instead of infrastructure.
Selling the social spending legislation to the media, she further added Democrats need to shift their focus to give “real relief” to parents and struggling families.
Similarly, Bernie Sanders has also ruled out the possibility of the stalled infrastructure legislation impacting the outcome of Virginia’s governor race. This is where most progressives currently stand.
