The Senate is voting on several pieces of legislation sponsored by vulnerable Republican incumbents as the party tries to show voters they are addressing their
The Senate is voting on several pieces of legislation sponsored by vulnerable Republican incumbents as the party tries to show voters they are addressing their concerns with time running out ahead of the midterms and new polling showing Democrats are gaining ground even in increasingly red areas.
The last-minute push to pass legislation before lawmakers head home to campaign comes as Republicans are having to invest huge sums in races previously thought to be safe seats as margins shrink ahead of Election Day and mounting frustrations among voters with how the party has used its congressional majorities to combat inflation and improve the economy.
The votes are some of the last the Senate will make before heading home to campaign for the midterms, making it the last moment lawmakers will have to show Americans they are working to address their concerns. House lawmakers have been out of session since Sept. 16, a decision Democrats and some Republicans have criticized.
Lawmakers are expecting to take up a bill addressing the costs of data centers amid mounting pushback in communities across the country against the facilities being built nearby over concerns about higher utility bills, resource usage and noise. The Ratepayer Protection Act, which sailed through the House with broad bipartisan support, which aims to curb energy prices from data centers.
The legislation is being sponsored in the Senate by Jon Husted of Ohio, who is in a tough reelection fight against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and has been hammered by attack ads over his stance on increasingly unpopular data centers. It is unclear whether it will receive enough Democratic support to advance amid complaints it doesn’t go far enough to address the issue and arguments it is an attempt to give a vulnerable candidate a political win ahead of Election Day.
Senators are also voting on a House-passed bill restricting the ability of members of Congress to buy and sell stocks, an issue lawmakers have repeatedly failed to address for years despite widespread support from voters. It passed the House earlier this year with just 13 Democrats in support over arguments that it didn’t go far enough on stocks members already own and the inclusion of language on voter ID requirements.
Other vulnerable incumbents are pushing legislation touching on other issues with broad voter appeal before they leave Washington. Sen. Susan Collins, who is in a tight reelection fight in Maine, has pushed Senate leaders to vote on a bill capping insulin costs. Others have sought votes on suspending the federal gas tax and other bills impacting the cost of living for working families.
The issues behind both pieces of legislation, banning congressional stock trading and insulating consumers from the costs of data centers, are broadly popular among voters in both parties. But whether they will change voter attitudes about the job Republicans are doing with their congressional majorities is unclear as Americans have already started voting in some states and opinions about the parties starting to harden.
“In some ways, it's a good thing that that Congress doesn't just entirely take their time off heading up to an election,” said Chris Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton. “But this is a sign of panic among Republicans that they see the polls going in the wrong direction, they see some races getting away from them, and some becoming competitive that they didn’t expect to be competitive, and this is kind of a Hail Mary.”
An already-challenging political environment for Republicans has deteriorated as Nov. 3 approaches. A series of new polls have found Democrats gaining advantages with independents, pulling closer or ahead in House districts or states that heavily favored Republicans and President Donald Trump’s approval hitting new lows.
An Emerson College poll released last week found Democrats holding an 11-point lead over Republicans on a generic ballot, along with Democratic voters and independents being more enthusiastic to vote than Republicans, a potential sign of trouble for the GOP as it tries to turn out its voters.
Other surveys have found Trump’s approval ratings hitting new lows and voters are growing more pessimistic about the GOP’s handling of the economy and cost of living, the two primary issues for people deciding who to vote for in November. The war with Iran, which has never received majority support, has also grown more unpopular with gas prices running high for months.
High gasoline and diesel prices are stretching budgets and driving frustrations about the state of the economy. A gallon of regular gasoline is over $4.50 nationally, while diesel prices have hit new records at well above $6.
Republicans have increasingly pushed for suspending gas taxes, restricting U.S. diesel exports and finding other ways the government can lower costs for consumers being hit by high prices at the pump. Most of those efforts have fallen flat with time dwindling before Election Day and Americans’ attitudes about the economy hardening.
“There's no way to spin $5 gas prices or $7 diesel prices. The limits of spin are catching up with some political figures,” Devine said.
