“It’s not going to be a pretty Election Day” for Democrats, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) predicted Monday.
Still, the results for Democrats won’t “be the disaster that all the pundits keep predicting,” she said during an interview on MSNBC.
{mosads}With voters set to head to the polls in less than 24 hours, Edwards offered a frank assessment of the tough political environment facing her party, noting that it’s common for presidents in their second term to see their party lose seats in Congress.
“I think it’s actually — you know, the case and in midterm elections historically, the president’s party in power actually loses about 29 seats on average. And I don’t think that this midterm, frankly, is any different from others,” she said.
With President Obama’s approval ratings near an all-time low, Republicans are hoping voter unhappiness will be their ticket to a Republican-controlled Congress.
Edwards, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus also took issue with Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) assertion over the weekend that African-American voters are skeptical of Democrats. Asked about whether increased competition for the African-American vote might be the reason that Maryland’s governors race is tighter than expected, she pushed back.
“Not at all. In fact, I think that’s wishful thinking on the part of Rand Paul,” she said.