Biden Campaigning in NY Reveals ‘Democrats on Defense,’ Says CNN’s John Avlon, Highlighting Potential Losses for Party

CNN’s John Avlon called President Joe Biden’s recent trip to New York to campaign in favor of Governor Kathy Hochul (D) a “sign” that Democrats are on “defense” in some tight midterm races.

On CNN This Morning, Avlon told co-host Don Lemon that Democrats could face some massive losses in Congress if history is any indication.

The senior political analyst noted that presidents with an approval rating below 50 percent going into midterms tend to see their party lose dozens of seats. Among this group of presidents are Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

“Let’s get real about the dynamics behind these midterms. There’s a physics behind the pendulum in midterm elections. This stat captures it. When presidents are below 50 percent in their midterm election, they tend to lose an average of 46 seats since 1982,” Avlon reported. “Reagan, Clinton, Obama, Trump, Biden in that category. Unclear how many. That’s a benchmark to keep in mind.”

According to CNN data tracking Biden’s polling, he has an average 40 percent approval rating and 55 percent disapproval rating.

Avlon called this year’s election map “chaotic and noisy,” pointing to the tight race in New York’s gubernatorial race as an example.

“You saw Joe Biden campaigning in New York state. That’s a sign of Democrats on defense, let’s be real about that,” Avlon said.

Hochul is being challenged by Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) in a tight race. New York has not had a Republican governor since 2006. On top of Biden campaigning for Zeldin, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have also lent some help. Clinton visited the state over the weekend, while Obama is included in a pro-Hochul ad airing in the state.

Hochul insisted on Friday on CNN that she is confident in her chances and claimed polls don’t capture the “energy on the ground.”

“When Democrats turn out, we win. I think what’s not being captured in the polls is that there really is, finally, energy on the ground,” the governor said. “It doesn’t manifest itself earlier, but you only need to peak on Election Day.”

Watch above via CNN

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