Former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove said Thursday that the Biden administration and Democrats need a reality check about the president's role in the midterm elections this past month.
Rove rejected the idea that Biden and his agenda were the primary reasons Democrats fared better than anticipated in the midterms, citing a memo from White House senior adviser Mike Donilon, stating the president was enjoying a "strong jolt of momentum."
Donilon claimed the midterm success was because of Biden's "approval rating on the upswing, a resilient economic climate, and strong support for the President’s agenda."
"There are problems with the narrative," Rove wrote in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal. "The midterms had more to do with Republican missteps than with Biden administration successes."
Democrats who distanced themselves from the Biden administration did better in the elections, Rove pointed out. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., won a close reelection highlighting Republican opponent Herschel Walker's "character and competence" rather than any focus on the president.
Arizona Democrats, including gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., focused on local issues and election integrity rather than on Biden. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who won reelection by 5 points, even blamed Biden for the "mess" at the southern border.
In Wisconsin, Biden’s loudest and most persistent critic, Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., won a third term. "Johnson should have lost in the Badger State, which Mr. Biden carried," said Rove.
Rove stated the three factors of the "end-of-year rhetorical offensive." The first was wanting to drop the Roe v. Wade narrative and "lousy" GOP candidates and lead with successes and make it seem the president was "transformational."
The second factor signaled that Biden would focus on reelection in 2023 "instead of governing."
The third factor was that reelection would be easy for Biden and that the U.S.’ "grim times," such as inflation, are behind us.
Rove says the first premise is false because it had to do with Republican missteps. The second was viewed as "harmful for the country," and the third about reelection is "highly unlikely."
"May I suggest a New Year's resolution for White House aides? Stop trying to portray Mr. Biden as a political colossus," Rove wrote. "He’s an 80-year-old with a 43.5% approval rating. Some two-thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track on his watch. Only 19% want him to run again."
"Maybe Team Biden should develop another narrative, one based in reality, and devote next year to doing what the president promised in 2020: uniting the country and restoring a sense of normalcy."
Rove highlighted Republican successes in the midterm, such as the governorship going to Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and the Senate seat going to J.D. Vance. Biden also did not so sway Floridians and Georgians, Rove said. Warnock was the only major victory for Democrats in Georgia, although it helped them retain control of the Senate.
Republicans flipped the House, winning 222 House seats, compared to 213 for Democrats. The new Congress will be sworn in next week, on Jan. 3.
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