Greg Sargent, Washington Post: “The midterm elections will take place in approximately 500 days. Which is exactly why some Democratic strategists believe it’s urgent to begin executing their midterm strategy right now – nearly a year and a half in advance. In some respects, the political landscape for Democrats looks forbidding. Though they passed the massive covid-19 relief package known as the American Rescue Plan, Sen. Joe Manchin III’s (D-W.V.) opposition to ending the filibuster means that even if they pass a huge infrastructure package, action on many major priorities could then grind to a halt. That’s one reason Democratic strategists are taking steps now to set the terms of the debate in the midterms. To this end, they say they’ve homed in on a key demographic: suburban women who support President Biden but are at risk of either backing Republicans in 2022 or staying at home.”

“This demographic is somewhat distinct from the relatively affluent, educated White suburbanite demographic that is often discussed as central to the suburban shift to Democrats in the 2018 and 2020 elections. Instead, this group is a subset of suburban women who are more likely to be non-college-educated and somewhat less affluent, and tend to be drawn from the working class or lower-middle class, or the ranks of small business owners. ‘Without a doubt, it’s a key target audience,’ John Anzalone, one of Biden’s pollsters, told me. Democrats see this group as a challenge and an opportunity. Recent research by the group American Bridge in four states with big Senate races – Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia – found that among suburban women who approve of Biden but are not committed to voting Democratic (or voting at all) in 2022, an uncomfortably large percentage were unaware of the details of the covid rescue package. Yet at the same time, large percentages of them generally approve of Biden’s overall priorities, the group’s spokesman, Max Steele, told me. This has led Democrats to conclude they must do more to inform these voters about what’s in the relief package, which included stimulus checks, tax credits for families with children, aid to small businesses and large expenditures on vaccine distribution.”