Vice President Kamala Harris talks about helping the middle class and touts the Biden administration’s work to help the economy during the campaign.
But the term ‘Bidenomy,’ once used regularly by Democrats, has largely fallen by the wayside as the campaign season heats up.
Now, a new poll explains why Democrats may not be as interested in using the term these days, as they prepare for Election Day on November 5.
The NBC News poll found that voters view the word ‘Bidenomy’ negatively by a ratio of two to one. Only 22 percent view the term positively, while 46 percent view it negatively.
That included a fifth of all voters who pollsters identify as “undecided voters” who have not voted directly for Republicans or Democrats in the presidential race since 2016.
Kamala Harris campaigning in Washington Crossing, PA, on October 16, 2024
Bidenomics refers to the economic policy of the Biden administration.
Over the past three and a half years, Democrats have been able to successfully pass a number of bills that have included spending on the middle class and their economic priorities, such as the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and more.
As the president put it, the goal is to build the economy “from the middle out and from the bottom up.”
This comes as the unemployment rate hovers around record lows after hitting a record low last year, more people are entering the workforce, the United States has experienced strong economic growth, exceeding expectations, in recent years and the market of values reached an all-time high.
But as the United States emerged from the coronavirus pandemic and prices globally soared with inflation, Americans have largely felt that the economy is not good despite plenty of strong economic data suggesting otherwise.
When it comes to opinions on ‘Bidenomy’, a whopping 39 percent view it very negatively, while another seven percent view it somewhat negatively.
With numbers like those, it’s no surprise that the Harris campaign has avoided using the term as the election approaches.
Meanwhile, Harris’ opponent Donald Trump’s campaign and other critics have seized on the term in recent months.
In a battleground state ad first released over the summer, the Trump campaign pulled news clips discussing rising prices and spliced them with clips of Harris speaking about “Bidenomics,” including her testimony before the camera: “Bidenomics is working.”
President Biden speaking about ‘Bidenomy’ at the White House in October 2023
The NBC News poll found that while a large number of voters view ‘Bidenomy’ negatively, more registered voters also believe the Biden administration’s policies have been harming their families.
It found that only 25 percent of voters think Biden’s policies have helped their families, while 45 percent said the administration’s policies were hurting. Another 29 percent are unsure.
At the same time, 45 percent said Trump’s policies while in office helped, while 31 percent said his policies hurt. 24 percent were unsure.
Overall, the poll found that 50 percent said Trump would be better at dealing with inflation and the cost of living, while only 39 percent said the same of Harris.