Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Will Reflect Voter Mood During Biden Presidency

Originally published at RealClear Politics.

In other words, suburban voters favor moderation – as the election results showed. But despite his campaign persona, Biden may already be inching closer to leftist economic policies. As Axios reported last week, Biden’s “economic policy team has signaled that it will be the first administration ever to construct economic policy around issues like race, gender equality, and climate change, rather than around traditional indicators like gross domestic product or deficit ratios.” Economic policies based on identity and progressive politics, rather than free-market ideas, could once again make the suburbs a battleground in the 2022 midterms. 

Following this month’s runoffs in Georgia, voters opted for moderation and effectively divided government, with an evenly split Senate – West Virginia’s blue dog Democrat, Joe Manchin, represents a swing vote – and a narrow Democratic majority in the House (the closest margin in decades). There was no blue wave, including in state legislatures, which Democrats failed to flip to control redistricting. Instead, Republicans won two more state legislative bodies, now holding 61 of 99 state chambers.  

 

This moderation trend – support for Biden, not down-ballot progressives – was particularly evident in Pennsylvania, once again a presidential bellwether. The Keystone State’s suburban regions, especially Philadelphia’s collar counties, overwhelmingly favored…

 

Read more at RealClear Politics.