Democrats approach a midterm message, but struggle to deliver it

Democratic strategists say the White House is still moving too slowly and remains too disorganized ahead of the midterms, when many Democrats fear their party will lose control of the House and possibly the Senate.

“There is as much a plan to win the midterms as there was to airlift Afghans out of Kabul,” said one Democratic political adviser who remains close to the White House. “They’re putting us all in a bad place.” The adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the party’s prospects, was referring to the chaotic, deadly withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan last summer.

The adviser said the White House’s top-down political decision-making process is often impeded by bottlenecks, which hinder coordination with party committees, state parties, advocacy groups and donors. Information reaches stakeholders at the last minute, the adviser said, which results in resources being wasted or misdirected.