Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham on Tuesday that the night’s elections will be a test of whether President Biden’s low approval numbers have depressed the Democratic vote.
“This is a fascinating test, first of all because Gov. Youngkin has done a great job, he’s at about 57% approval, so he’s bringing a lot to the table, and he has raised a fair amount of money,” Gingrich said. “The Democrats understand if they lose badly tonight in Virginia that’s a terrible omen for 2024 and will increase the demand that Biden quit running for reelection.”
Gingrich added that “there’s a lot at stake here” and that the Virginia election will also be a “good test” as to whether a “problem-solving” governor like Youngkin can go into the Washington D.C. suburbs and win over federal employees in blue areas.
“The truth is, I don’t care what the polls tell you, I want to see what the American people, who cared enough to go vote,” Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he thinks that voters in Kentucky, New Jersey, Mississippi, some local races in New York will be revealing whether “Biden has depressed the Democrats and whether the issues have aroused both Republicans and Independents.”
Voters in Virginia will be voting for Republicans or Democrats to control the state legislature, as every one of the 140 seats are up for grabs.
In Ohio, voters will be deciding whether to enshrine abortion access into the state constitution, in what many believe will signal how the abortion issue will be framed in a post-Roe v. Wade landscape.
Key governor races are also taking place in Kentucky and Mississippi, along with other elections taking place in 31 states across the country.
Tuesday’s election comes as several polls have shown President Biden’s approval rating tanking, and a recent New York Times poll shows former President Trump beating Biden in 5 key battleground states.
An overwhelming 71% of respondents told NYT that Biden is “too old” to serve as an effective president.
