Republicans say they learned from Biden mistakes as they sell Trump’s economy

But Biden’s message that the economy was strong, which still haunts some Democrats, are proving a valuable lesson for swing-seat Republicans.

Although inflation is not as high as it was under Biden after the COVID-19 pandemic, prices continue to rise, as have interest and mortgage rates, exacerbating cost-of-living concerns amid the Iran war, which has contributed to the problem by upending global energy markets.

For example, one farm state Republican strategist told the Washington Examiner that farmers, many of whom have supported Trump in the past but are now reconsidering voting for Republicans in the midterm elections, are contending with higher input costs.

The strategist cited the price of gas and diesel during harvest season, with diesel breaking the $6 per gallon barrier this month.

The source argued that the stronger message for his battleground candidate is to run on a promise to deliver more economic relief for his congressman’s constituents rather than to run on “abstract” economic numbers.

The strategy also relies on repeating ad nauseam that Democrats would make the economy worse.

“In polling people report the economy as a top issue and people aren’t feeling great about it,” the strategist said. “Biden tried to talk to people about how good his s***** economy was for them and that didn’t work very well.”

Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe, who is working on another battleground race, agreed that he and his candidate’s strategy regarding the economy is “a lesson learned from the Biden administration.”

“People are struggling on the affordability issue and trying to convince them that things are great with data points isn’t what they are looking for from their leaders,” Cabel Roe told the Washington Examiner. “They are looking for them to focus on the things that are contributing to their struggle. Talking about the macroeconomic picture tends to make a candidate look out of touch.”

For most voters, how they feel about the economy outweighs the data points, which aren’t as easily communicable.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), who is in a toss-up race in Virginia, said his constituents “don’t experience the economy through a GDP report,” but through “the grocery store, at the gas pump, when they pay their electric bill, and when they try to buy a home.”

“So while it’s important to highlight economic growth and job creation, I am focused on affordability and on whether people actually feel like their paycheck is going further,” Wittman told the Washington Examiner. “That’s why my focus has been on lowering costs, keeping taxes down, expanding workforce opportunities, increasing American energy production, and making it easier for families and small businesses to get ahead.”

He added, “I don’t think voters want politicians telling them the economy is great or terrible based on a statistic. They want us to recognize what they’re experiencing and tell them what we’re doing to improve it.”

Some Republicans are relying on local economic concerns in their pitch to voters.

One New York Republican strategist told the Washington Examiner that their candidate’s approach is a more nuanced balance between local and national politics, though they reiterated that “it’s a much more understandable message when you can just focus on what you actually delivered for your constituents.”

“The congressman delivered SALT in New York with the Working Families Tax Cuts bill,” the strategist said. “That’s more what we’re, from a messaging standpoint, leaning on, just because it’s a better message. But the congressman, he’s gone on TV plenty of times pointing to [the economy]. There’s no problem talking about the fact that the economy is actually in a pretty good position.”

Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), another Republican candidate in a toss-up race, similarly underscores the economy on the campaign trail, including on Tuesday when he amplified that Ohio’s unemployment rate is now the lowest in the state’s history.

“He also routinely shares that CNBC ranked Ohio the No. 1 state in the country to do business, which is due in large part to Sen. Husted’s work as Ohio’s lieutenant governor,” a Husted spokeswoman told the Washington Examiner. “He also has a long history of pioneering job training through business-driven programs like TechCred in Ohio. And, of course, Sen. Husted talks about his work with the Trump administration to pass the Working Families Tax Cut Act.”

Likewise Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), who is in a competitive race too, told the Washington Examiner that he is “absolutely … talking about the economy” because “Republicans delivered on the things we said we would” through the Working Families Tax Cut Act, such as no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, a larger child tax credit, eliminated the death tax, and tax relief for working families and small businesses.”

“The problem is the media refuses to cover these real savings and only focus on gas prices,” he said. “So I wouldn’t say Republicans aren’t talking about the economy. I’d say we’ve got a great story to tell, and it’s frustrating when there seems to be so little interest in telling it by national media.”

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Republican National Committee spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre echoed Van Orden’s complaint about the national news media, saying “Republicans have been shouting our wins for working families from the rooftops but the failing liberal media won’t print a word of it.”

“President Trump’s policies are putting more money in Americans’ pockets and giving workers more opportunities to get ahead — all of these achievements will continue to be highlighted on the campaign trail over the next 30 days as President Trump barnstorms the country,” Baldassarre told the Washington Examiner.