Senate Democrats are clinging to Biden-backed legislation in a tight race

Senators fighting hard for re-election tout their role in implementing key elements of Biden’s agenda, but notably omit any mention of the president having a low public approval rating.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), who is fighting for his political life in a tight race in Montana against Republican challenger Tim Sheehy, touted his effort to get the Inflation Reduction Act across the finish line during Monday’s debate.

“We need to do things like negotiate on prescription drugs or, by the way, reduce the cost of insulin, which we did this year or last year with the Inflation Reduction Act, which I was the only one in the delegation that could be voted on,” he said Tester in response to a question from moderators asking candidates about the best health care system for seniors.

The 2022 bill was approved along party lines and required Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding vote. It also provided at least $370 billion to reduce carbon pollution by increasing wind, solar and other renewable energy production, as well as multimillion-dollar tax breaks for homeowners and consumers for transitioning away from fossil fuels. The legislation also included prescription drug pricing reform and capped the cost of insulin for Medicare recipients at $35 per month.

Democrats in some of the most competitive Senate races this cycle are touting their party’s legislative achievements, from the Inflation Reduction Act to the bipartisan infrastructure bill to the CHIPS Act. Here is a sample of the ads aired from MT to MI. @dcexaminer pic.twitter.com/sewmGnGYXz

— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) October 1, 2024

Tester also highlights his role in getting the bill across the finish line in a statewide ad featuring testimonials from a diabetic senior in Montana.

“I went to Canada to get insulin. Over the years, pharmaceutical companies have raised the price. Jon Tester took them on and lowered the price of insulin to $35 a month,” said Bill Lattin, who narrates the ad.

In ads running in swing states, Senate Democrats touted the role they played in passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2021 that funded projects on the nation’s roads, bridges and waterways, as well as broadband expansion. They also point to the bipartisan passage of the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, which provided $280 billion in subsidies for semiconductor production and research to help the United States compete with China.

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), engaged in a competitive race with her Republican opponent, former Republican Mike Rogers, who is set to replace outgoing Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), has emphasized her vote on the legislation in ads airing across country country.

“That’s why I worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass legislation ensuring that we, America, can produce the microchips that power our cars,” Slotkin says in the ad.

Democrats have an opportunity to remind voters of their achievements while trying to attract the attention of both independents and Republicans.

“When you’re running for re-election, you highlight things that are popular, and that means good things that you’ve had a leadership role on and can take credit for,” said Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist based in New York. “And to put it negatively, I would add a currently unpopular president to that mix.”

VICE PRESIDENTS DEBATE 2024: VANCE AND WALZ Will Face Off in CBS Contest

“If I’m Jon Tester, Tammy Baldwin or Bob Casey, I’ll certainly talk about all the good I’ve done, the work, the projects and the efforts I’ve brought back to my state, but they’re certainly smart enough that I won’t mention Biden with name if he is unpopular in the state,” Reinish added.

GOP groups are running ads urging incumbent Democrats to support the inflation-reduction bill. Americans for Prosperity Action, an arm of the conservative activist group Americans for Prosperity, launched digital ads in Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in early September.

The ad aimed at Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) claims that his vote for this bill “raised inflation, forcing Buckeye families to pay nearly $1,000 more per month for everyday items.”

When Biden signed the bill in 2022, the inflation rate was 8.3%, and in August 2024 it dropped to 2.5%. While this Act cannot be credited with lowering inflation, there is no evidence that it worsened inflation.

“I would certainly exaggerate that message, I would amplify that message — and if my Republican opponent is lying, I would call out the lie itself, the lie that he’s putting out there,” Reinish said.

Former President Donald Trump called for the recovery of unspent funds provided in the act. In an article published in Newsweek on Tuesday, he sharply criticized the bill, calling it the “Creating Inflation Act.” Trump criticized major aspects of the bill, including tax breaks for electric vehicles.

“With her tie-breaking vote on the so-called ‘Inflation Creation Act,’ she sent billions to China’s battery factories, China’s solar factories, and China’s electronics factories. “No wonder under Kamala Harris we lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs in August 2024 alone,” Trump wrote. “But this terrible nightmare for American workers ends the day I take the oath of office.”

Since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed, nearly $150 billion has been allocated to help finance U.S. plants that produce electric cars, batteries and renewable energy components. Analysis published by Guardian last week it said half of that funding would go to seven battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and would support more than 50,000 new manufacturing jobs.

In mid-September, Brown announced a new investment for a Toledo glass company made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Act.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“With this support, Libbey Glass will continue to create good-paying jobs and ensure Ohio remains a national leader in manufacturing and innovation,” Brown said in a news release.

Clean energy investments in Ohio have totaled more than $7 billion since the law was passed in 2022, according to an analysis by an environmental nonprofit.