logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2021
24m 2s

Are the US Democrats in big trouble?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

When voters in Virginia elected a Republican as Governor they sent a wake-up call to President Biden and the Democrats. The handling of the pandemic and rising prices are harming the party’s standing, while a move towards radical liberalism is also alienating some voters. So how likely is defeat at next year’s mid-term elections? Tanya Beckett asks if the Democrats are in big trouble.

Contributors: Sarah Baxter, former deputy editor, writer Sunday Times Thomas Edsall, adjunct professor, Columbia University Larry Sabato, professor of politics, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics Robert Schlesinger, president, Schlesinger Communications

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Sheila Cook Researcher: Chris Blake

(Photo: President Biden at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow)

Up next
Feb 3
What does the national election mean for the future of Bangladesh?
Bangladesh will hold a national election in February, after years of political turmoil and the ousting of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina. Her rule of more than a decade delivered strong economic growth but was also accompanied by tighter political control and repeated confrontati ... Show More
23m 32s
Jan 27
What's behind the rise in shoplifting?
Boosting, swiping or the five finger discount - many countries around the world are seeing a rise in retail theft. From Japan to the UK, the USA to Germany, retailers are struggling to tackle shoplifting - but the factors fueling this trend are as varied as the people carrying ou ... Show More
23m 31s
Jan 22
Is history repeating itself in Iran?
Iran has been shaken by protests on a scale not seen since its 1979 revolution. Demonstrations that began in the country’s capital over the state of the economy have spread to multiple cities, with wider calls for political change.The government has called the demonstrations "rio ... Show More
24m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
A Rough Election Night for the Democrats
<p>On a major night of elections across the United States on Tuesday, the Republican Glenn Youngkin claimed an unexpected victory over his Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe, to win the governor’s race in Virginia.</p><p>As the night went on, it became clear that the contest in ... Show More
26m 30s
Jul 2024
Dems Change Their Tune About Biden For President
We may be starting to see a seismic shift in how the Democratic Party publicly talks about whether President Joe Biden should remain the party’s presumptive nominee for president. On Tuesday, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden ... Show More
18m 22s
Nov 2022
US midterms: Republicans on the rise
<p>Joe Biden’s Democrats look set to lose control of Congress in this month's elections. But many of the Republicans poised to take office support Donald Trump's claim that the last presidential election was stolen. Gideon discusses his prospects for a return to the White House w ... Show More
26m 24s
Nov 2021
A Conversation With a Virginia Democrat
<p>In a bipartisan win for President Biden, Democrats and Republicans have passed a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. Now comes the difficult part — trying to win approval for a $2 trillion social spending bill.</p><p>For more moderate Democrats in swing districts, the vote wi ... Show More
27m 22s
Dec 2022
The Last Senate Seat
<p>Georgia voters are heading to the polls for the final battle of the 2022 midterms — the runoff election between Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker.</p><p>Both parties have their own challenges: Republicans have a candidate quality ... Show More
28m 45s
Sep 2022
Biden: Trump & MAGA Republicans represent extremism
In a fiery prime-time speech, President Biden says Trump & MAGA Republicans represent extremism that "threatens the very foundations of our republic". That, as Trump reveals in an interview he's financially supporting some of the Capitol riot defendants and would pardon them if h ... Show More
41m 24s
May 2022
The Big Lie and The Midterms
<p>In Pennsylvania, a candidate falsely claiming election fraud in 2020 prevailed in a crowded Republican primary for governor. But in Georgia, two incumbents — the governor and the secretary of state — beat back challenges from “stop the steal” opponents.</p><p>Is re-litigating ... Show More
24m 4s
Mar 2024
Susan Glasser on Biden’s State of the Union
President Biden’s tenure has been marked by numerous foreign-policy flash points: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. Public perception of how he has handled these challenges could have a direct effect on his chances for ... Show More
41m 42s
Nov 2022
John Fetterman and the Fight for White Working-Class Voters
<p>For the Democrats to hold on to power in Washington, they have to do what President Biden did in Pennsylvania two years ago: Break the Republican Party’s grip on the white working-class vote, once the core of the Democratic base. </p><p>In tomorrow’s midterm election, no race ... Show More
41m 5s
Oct 2021
Sunday, October 24: Democrats inch closer to a deal on social spending plan
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin are set to meet in Delaware with President Biden today to hammer out the final details of the Democrats' sprawling social spending bill. The White House aims to hold a vote in the coming days before Biden ... Show More
42m 28s