Are the US Democrats in big trouble?
The election of a Republican as Governor of Virginia has sent a strong message to President Biden. Tanya Beckett asks if it means the Democrats are in big trouble.
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)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Thu 2 Dec 202108:06GMTBBC World Service
- Thu 2 Dec 202115:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 2 Dec 202118:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 2 Dec 202123:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Podcast
![]()
The Inquiry
The Inquiry explores the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world

