Democrats have two months to determine whether President Joe Biden’s student-debt relief plan is enough to repair fractured relations with young voters the party needs in an election with control of Congress at stake.
Biden has been under intense pressure from voters under 30 to enact a more progressive agenda since they helped him reach the White House in 2020. He carried about 60% of voters between 18-and-29 years old, but his inability to keep some of the bold promises he made during a campaign set against the backdrop of a national conversation on race and equality caused them to sour on his presidency.
The president’s unpopularity presents a big challenge for Democrats before November, considering young Americans voted at record levels in the 2020 election as well as the 2018 midterms. While the president’s party typically loses seats in elections held during their first terms, polls show Democrats with momentum that could temper losses in the House and allow them to possibly expand their thin majority in the U.S. Senate.
