Joe Biden is touting 'Bidenomics.' For vulnerable Democrats in battleground districts, it's a hard sell.

STRATHAM, N.H. − While President Joe Biden touts a recovering economy as "Bidenomics" – a political slogan coined for the president’s economic agenda – House Democrats in battleground districts have been more mellow when it comes to taking credit for the economy's strengths.

In New Hampshire’s first congressional district, long considered a swing district, Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., would rather not sell anything to his constituents during Congress’ August recess. It's a time when lawmakers leave Washington for their home districts and inform constituents about the work they’re doing on Capitol Hill.

“It shouldn’t be about taking a victory lap on anything that has been done in the last several years,” Pappas told USA TODAY after a roundtable discussion with child care advocates and parents in Stratham, a town in the Granite State’s seacoast region. Pappas is one of 29 Democrats on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of vulnerable “Frontline” members representing competitive districts.

Pappas’ approach to talking to voters about the economy runs counter to what some within his party advise. House Democrats’ largest super PAC, House Majority PAC, urged in a memo for Democrats to “go on offense” when it comes to the economy and “build the contrast with the MAGA House Republicans.”

Those economic successes, Biden and other Democratic leaders argue, happened because of massive legislative accomplishments spearheaded by Democrats. That includes bills such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which partly aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. It also includes the CHIPS and Science Act meant to boost domestic manufacturing of semiconductors.

But while those bills are “great” and have huge “benefits,” Pappas said, he has been focused on staying “relevant to people’s day-to-day experiences,” not just achievements in Washington.

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'Bidenomics' might not sell in battleground districts

Democrats have been elated over a string of solid economic numbers: Inflation has been cooling, unemployment remains low and overall consumer confidence has been rising.

The White House has argued Biden’s economic agenda and other legislative wins have fueled the country's thriving economy.

“The American people strongly support Bidenomics: having big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, lowering prescription drug costs, capping insulin, cutting energy costs, restoring American manufacturing, and rebuilding our roads and bridges," Michael Kikukawa, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to USA TODAY.

But that approach may have flaws. Biden still sees higher disapproval ratings than approval ratings among Americans and even lower ratings when it comes to the economy. Just 36% of Americans approve of the president’s handling of the economy, according to a poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

And for voters struggling to make ends meet, with food prices still rising despite inflation coming down, “Bidenomics” could be a hard sell.

At the Acorn School, a preschool and kindergarten where Pappas heard feedback from child care providers and parents, other economic struggles such as low wages, high costs at the grocery store and high interest rates crept into the discussion, a display of how Americans are still feeling financial hurt despite strong economic numbers.

Jamie Clavet, 38, a marketing specialist from Barrington, recently became a mother of three, which she called “quite the struggle” when it comes to finances.

“When we had our second child we had to refinance our house to afford child care, and not even full-time care,” Clavet told USA TODAY after the roundtable discussion. “And then when we had a third child we had to buy a new house to get a bigger house, and we are really burdened with the cost of the new house and life and child care.

“It’s so hard having a large family when you think about it financially. The cost of food has gone up, and I have two very good eaters and one soon-to-be very good eater. I don’t leave the grocery store for less than $300 a week, which is insane.”

On “Bidenomics,” Clavet says there appears to be “a lot of promises” she would support, but until she starts to see its effect on her tax returns, for example, “it’s really hard for me to have a well-rounded opinion.”

It’s constituents like Clavet whom Pappas is trying to avoid alienating as he surveys his district.

For instance, New Hampshire ranks as the state with the lowest unemployment rate, at 1.7% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' July jobs report. Even then, Pappas said, it’s nothing to brag about if people are still bearing economic burdens.

“There are positive signs when we’ve got the lowest unemployment rate in the nation here in New Hampshire, but there are challenges that come along with that too,” Pappas said. “It’s about having a realistic perspective, and you can’t do that unless you’re really grounded in people’s lived experiences."

Vulnerable House Democrat: 'There's a lot of credit that should be given to the Biden administration'

Other Frontline members, though, think it is worth handing Biden some credit for positive signs in the economy.

“The fact that we are actually here in 2023, as good as it is … there’s a lot of credit that should be given to the Biden administration,” Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., a first-term lawmaker, told USA TODAY in an interview, praising the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

“I believe in playing offense. I’m showing people what I’m doing,” Sorensen said of his work in his home district. Even to Republican constituents, he has touted bills such as the Inflation Reduction Act.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio., another Frontline member and first-term lawmaker, said he has been focused “on a lot of listening.” Back home, he thinks the “Bidenomics” messaging has “broken through a little bit,” adding: “People are definitely starting to feel better. You see that in consumer confidence numbers.”

“There’s optimism, and I do think people are more aware,” Landsman told USA TODAY. “That’s what people want more than anything else: to know that the people who are supposed to be working on their behalf are actually doing it.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Bidenomics': Some House Democrats cool on Joe Biden's economy message