WASHINGTON – Rising coronavirus cases across the country are threatening to upend both parties’ burgeoning midterm election strategies, as plans to focus on other political issues have been overshadowed by the ongoing pandemic.
Democrats and Republicans had been anticipating a “summer of freedom” from COVID-19, as President Joe Biden put it in June, with the country seemingly returning to a state of normalcy after more than a year of lockdowns, masks and social distancing. But that sense has faded in recent weeks due to the spread of the highly contagious delta variant and vaccination rates slowing compared to earlier in the year.
That has complicated plans from both parties to begin shifting the public’s attention to areas they see as politically advantageous ahead of the 2022 campaign. Democrats are seeking to build support for the infrastructure and spending plans Biden is attempting to push through Congress in the coming weeks, while Republicans have sought to highlight crime, inflation and immigration.
