Axelrod: Biden wins may reduce midterm headwinds facing Democrats to ‘Category 3’

Former Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said President Biden’s recent successes may help Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections, reducing a “Category 5” loss to a “Category 3.” 

Axelrod said on CNN’s “New Day” that Democrats are still facing “gale force winds” going into the midterm elections, but added “success breeds success.” 

He pointed to the U.S. military's successful drone strike killing al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and Biden’s legislative success in getting a bill to enhance domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing through Congress. He said the president may have another success soon with the climate, health care and tax package negotiated between Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Republicans are seeking to regain control of both houses of Congress as Biden’s approval rating remains around 40 percent. The GOP also has historical trends on their side, as the party in power historically has lost seats in Congress during the midterm elections. 

While Republicans are widely expected to retake the House, control of the Senate remains up for grabs, with competitive races in battleground states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Axelrod noted former President Obama’s poll numbers temporarily rose after he ordered the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, al-Zawahiri's predecessor, in 2011. 

He said the strike taking out al-Zawahiri casts Biden in a better light after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, when the administration faced broad criticism and the president's approval rating began to drop.