White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki downplayed concerns that 2021's off-year elections could signal trouble for President Biden and Democrats, arguing they are not a "bellwether" that can predict future elections.<br /><br />"I think the president of course wants former Governor McAuliffe to be the future governor of Virginia. There is alignment in a lot of their agenda," Psaki said during Thursday's press briefing. "I will leave it to other outside analysis to convey that off-year elections are often not a bellwether."<br /><br />The press secretary made clear that the Biden administration supports former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, arguing that the former governor shares a similar vision to the president.<br /><br />"We're going to do everything we have to help former Governor McAuliffe and we believe in the agenda he's representing," Psaki said.<br /><br />The comments come as McAuliffe is currently engaged in a tight race against Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin.<br /><br />According to the latest Real Clear Politics polling average, McAuliffe leads Youngkin by 3.4 points, a tight race in a state Biden won by over 10 points during his 2020 campaign against former President Donald Trump.<br /><br />Those numbers come as Democrats also fight to maintain their grip on control of Congress, with recent generic congressional ballot polling showing a tight race between Republicans and Democrats, despite the poll's recent trend to favor Democrats.<br /><br />Biden himself has seen his approval rating suffer in recent months, with the Real Clear Politics average showing 52% of voters disapprove of his performance compared to 44.1% who approve.<br /><br />The numbers represent a steep decline for the president, who entered office with an almost 20-point advantage in approval rating and enjoyed a positive approval rating as recently as Aug. 21.
