Midterm preview: The two parties vie for advantage

Republicans are bullish they can flip control of Congress. So they’re dialing in on key issues they think can help them at the polls.

Democrats may struggle with perceptions of the left-wing tilt in their party. But Republicans have their own problems. Expect Democrats to draw attention to the outsized, sometimes extreme voices, challenging President Biden.A coalition of ultra-right House members recently assembled a censure resolution for the president. But even that fell short for some Republicans."He doesn’t need just censure. He needs to be impeached," declared Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Texas."I also believe that President Biden should have a cognitive test," suggested Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo."The President has some real mental issues which need to be evaluated," piled on Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.But one can often distill success or failure in a midterm election based on issues.Republicans "need to understand that it's not simply about attacking the Biden Administration and its record," cautioned Fox News contributor and longtime political observer Karl Rove. "The big issue is going to be the economy."Democrats intend to campaign on their still-unfinished infrastructure bill - coupled with their massive, $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill approved in late winter."I’m excited to run on a record of results," said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., who heads House Democratic re-election efforts. "You can’t run on recklessness and radicalism. And that’s the Republican party." Still, looming large is whether or not former President Trump helps or hurts the GOP. Democrats benefitted from disdain for the former President in the 2018 midterms. That’s one of the reasons Democrats captured the House. Consider how Trump drove voters to the polls in 2016 and 2020. That Trump wasn’t on the ballot in 2018 was detrimental to House Republicans that year. And, the outcome of the House elections ultimately proved to be a check on the Trump Administration."Presidents don’t always disappear. But they’re usually not as active in post-presidential life publically as Trump has been," observed Kyle Kondik. "It’s a different kind of a wild card in this election that we don’t have a great historical precedent for."There’s concern among Senate Republicans that the former President could create a "Roy Moore" problem. In other words, some GOPers fear Trump could bet on Republican candidates who look great in a primary and tout strong pro-Trump bona fides. But that may be too toxic in the general election. Embattled former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore ultimately secured the 2017 GOP nomination for Senate to succeed former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., when he moved to serve as Attorney General. Moore was unelectable as a Republican – even in Alabama. Democrats seized the seat for two years as former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., defeated Moore.In other words, voters will want to know concrete plans from GOP candidates."People are going to want to know what Republicans are for," said Rove. "What are you going to do to make the country stronger and my community safer?"Big spending could harm Democrats among moderate voters. But that cuts both ways. There’s worry progressives may not vote if Democrats don’t ram through liberal priorities or stumble on infrastructure.