As Biden notches wins, Georgia Democrats hope for a boost

July 28, 2022

Also in today’s edition of Swing State Georgia:

• Herschel still won’t agree to a Senate debate.

• Georgia gun maker says the problem isn’t guns.

• The DNC convention team comes to Atlanta.

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Could President Joe Biden be turning around his political fortunes at just the right time? Or is it too close to the midterm elections to matter?

The Democrat’s approval ratings in Georgia are upside down, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released this week - at 36 percent approve, and 60 percent disapprove - and Republicans hope to tie their November opponents to him like an anchor.

But with less than four months until the election, Biden may be scoring some breakthroughs that could buoy his party’s fortunes.

The Federal Reserve chair offered a somewhat optimistic take on the economy, saying he didn’t think the U.S. was mired in a recession yet. The Senate just passed a $280 billion bill to boost semiconductor production and scientific research, with a House vote expected later today. That means Biden could have legislation to sign into law as soon as Friday.

And U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin has given his blessing to a climate change plan that would be the most ambitious ever approved by Congress. The package also includes provisions to lower healthcare costs and close tax loopholes.

These victories could all be blunted by the steady drumbeat of rising prices, thanks to inflation rates that haven’t soared this high in four decades. Gas prices also remain far higher than typical, but they’re beginning to slide downward nationally and in Georgia.

Still, the spate of positive developments could give state Democrats a Biden-shaped lifeboat to grasp in hopes of changing the economic and political narrative over the coming months.

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CHIPS AND SCIENCE. The U.S. Senate’s passage of legislation to increase the production of computer chips provided members of Georgia’s delegation reasons to celebrate.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock boasted that the final product included everything he advocated for, even if it was scaled down considerably from the packages approved earlier this year in both chambers.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson pointed out that the legislation also included language they championed regarding cybersecurity job training programs at HBCUs.

A final vote in the U.S. House is scheduled for later today.

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LISTEN UP. If you haven’t had time for a deep dive into the crosstabs of the AJC poll, worry not. The midweek edition of the Politically Georgia podcast did the work for you.

Just grab your coffee and press play.

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RATINGS WATCH. Most Georgians are paying attention to the U.S. House committee’s investigation of the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The panel has already held eight public hearings, including two in primetime.