CNN —As White House officials reflected on the final Democratic victory of a history-defying midterm election cycle, one constant has been a sense of validation.
Even Democrats, like Warnock, who sought to distance themselves from Biden and his sagging approval ratings, pointed to their legislative successes.
The victories for Biden’s agenda included trillions of dollars touching nearly every aspect of the US economy, manufacturing, infrastructure and climate policy, all of which have been broadly popular when taken in isolation.
Biden used his campaign appearances as an opportunity to tick through the lengthy list of those policies.
While White House officials dismissed the criticism, even Biden appeared to acknowledge the possibility.
Warnock’s message was one that was echoed in some form by Senate Democratic candidates in battleground states across the country, messages given a major boost by a late summer run of legislative success.
His role in the push for provisions to lower prescription drug costs for seniors was both elevated by White House and Senate Democratic leaders and highlighted extensively at home.
Warnock made his central behind-the-scenes role in pressing Biden to cancel student loan debt a key element of his public campaign.
But its resonance as a voting issue, particularly among young voters critical to the Democratic coalition, was striking to White House officials in the months after its announcement.
White House officials are also keen to point out how Herschel Walker, Warnock’s Republican opponent, actively ran against Biden’s agenda, attacking investments in climate and battery manufacturing and criticizing the infrastructure law during the primary.
“This is a significant new testament, in an intensely competitive purple state, to how much the Biden agenda and mainstream values are resonating with the American middle class,” said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson.
He then ticked through Biden’s agenda, piece by piece.
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