Obama Begins Rust Belt Tour, Assisted by Popular Senators
The 2010 Republican electoral rout in the industrial Rust Belt was decisive and complete with the GOP sweeping the gubernatorial and senate races in the key presidential battlegrounds of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Democratic prospects there in 2012, especially President Obama’s, seemed especially bleak.
But less than two years later, the dynamics have changed: Three Senate Democrats head into the final four-month sprint of this year’s campaign as clear favorites, having weathered the worst of the tea party storm in that region.
Their good standing is good news for the president who desperately need to engage white, working-class voters who make up a crucial component of the electorates in these states that are are key building blocks to any Democratic win in the fall.
Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Robert Casey (D-Pa.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) have seen their public approval ratings hold steady despite continued unease among voters about the pace of the economic recovery and an overall disgust toward Congress, providing some optimism for how Obama can campaign in this critical part of the country.