Former White House press sec. Jen Psaki said Friday morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Democrats “are kind of worried” ahead of the midterm elections.
Polls show voters are increasingly concerned about the economy and trust Republicans over Democrats to handle the situation. A recent Morning Consult/Politico poll found 93% of voters are concerned with inflation, with three out of four Democrats polled saying the economy would play a role in their voting decision. The same poll found 46% of voters trusted Republicans in Congress to handle inflation, while 37% trusted Democrats.
Meanwhile a Trafalgar Group/Convention of States Action poll found 58.9% of respondents believe a Democrat-controlled Congress would hurt the economy compared to 41.1% who think it would improve the economy.
Psaki expressed concern Friday about how these polls could affect the midterms. (RELATED: ‘We Also Have To Deal With Crime’: Sharpton Says Democrats’ Refusal To Talk About Uncomfortable Topics Will Cost Them)
“People are fearful about where the momentum is going in some of these races. Yes, there are very encouraging signs like the record early vote numbers, but numbers in some of the House races are not where they should be. People are trying to get – a lot of people I talk to are worried about voters being encouraged and excited about people at the top of the ticket and maybe not excited enough to vote for the congressional candidates and that’s a real concern.”
“I think it’s a reflection of the fact that Democrats are kind of worried about where this is going right now and it’s felt worse over the last week or so. You know, we only have 11 days to go here. That’s why I think you see Barack Obama, Joe Biden, all these people out on the trail, because they’re trying to light a fire with Democrats right now.”
Psaki isn’t alone in expressing concern about the outcome of the elections. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was caught on a hot mic Thursday saying that one seat was “in danger” although it remains unclear which seat he was referring to. Schumer did however seem pleased about Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman’s Tuesday night debate, saying, “looks like the debate didn’t hurt us too much in Pennsylvania.”