Democrats can hold the Senate in November, President Barack Obama said in his "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday, insisting the country is "definitely better off than we were when I came into office."
"Ronald Reagan used to ask the question, 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?'" Obama said Sunday, reports
The Hill. "In this case, are you better off than you were in six?"
Obama said he plans to spend the weeks before the November midterm election campaigning for Democrats on his economic record, and that he would put it "against any leader around the world in terms of digging ourselves out of a terrible, almost unprecedented financial crisis."
But Americans may not be ready to believe the president's message, as his national approval ratings remain low when it comes to how he's handled the economy.
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CNN poll released on Monday shows that 42 percent of respondents said they approve of how the president is handling the economy, and just 44 percent gave him a favorable job performance rating.
Obama admitted Sunday that Americans aren't feeling the recovery, and blamed that on incomes and wages that are not increasing. That problem can be addressed through Democratic policy, said Obama, and he plans to convince Americans that the economy has actually improved during his presidency.
But the president and Democrats are facing a tough battle to retain control of the Senate. Republicans need just six seats to take over, and are clear favorites to win seats in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, red states where the Democratic incumbents are not seeking re-election.
According to polls, Republicans need just a handful Republicans are the clear favorites to take three Democratic-held seats in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, where the incumbents are not running for re-election.
Polls are also showing that Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is down by five points to Republican challenger Bill Cassidy, and Arkansas Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor is down by almost four points to Republican Tom Cotton.
If those numbers stay, then Republicans will need to protect leads in Kansas, Georgia and Kentucky, reports The Hill, and take one of the toss-up races in North Carolina, Iowa, Alaska, or Colorado.
But while Obama is mapping out his plans to campaign on the economy, many Democratic candidates may not want him to show up in their states. The most competitive races are being held in states where the president's job rating is particularly low, reports The Hill, and he's being seen as a liability to those candidates.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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