Carville warns GOP of a ‘reckoning’ on shutdown and elections

Democratic strategist James Carville warned Republicans on Friday that Democrats have no intention of backing down amid the ongoing government shutdown fight.

Senate Democrats voted for the eighth time Tuesday to keep the government shut down, rejecting a bipartisan measure to reopen it as the funding lapse reached its second week. Appearing on “The Beat With Ari Melber,” Carville said Democrats do not plan on backing down.

“Democrats are not going to cave on this budget. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. There is no appetite among Democratic voters to give in. I don’t think there’s any appetite among Democrats on the Hill — both the House and the Senate,” Carville told Ari Melber.

Carville said Democrats see themselves on the “right side” of the issue and believe momentum is on their side.

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“They feel like they’re not going to lose it, that they’re on the right side — and there is zero appetite to give in. If they wanted to, they couldn’t, because Democratic voters would come out of the woodwork,” Carville said. “You better brace yourself for what’s going to happen in November, because this is the first time voters are going to the polls. We’ve had special elections, and in every one, Democrats have outperformed by over 15 points. The moment of reckoning cometh — and it’s not that far away.”

Carville predicted Democrats will win key state elections this fall.

“We’re going to win in Virginia, and we probably are, in all likelihood, going to win in New Jersey. That is going to change the entire dynamic of the coverage,” Carville said. “I’m sorry, [but] Senator Thune or Speaker Johnson can go out and do all the talking points they want. You better prepare your caucus for a long haul, because the Democrats feel they’re winning this fight.”

Despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying Democrats would gain politically from a lengthy shutdown, recent polls show voters still favor Republicans and the Trump administration on economic issues, giving them a slight edge over Democrats. Harvard CAPS/Harris polling shows Republicans holding a 4-point lead on economic issues among 2,413 registered voters, while Democratic polling firm Navigator Research found the GOP ahead by 2 points on inflation and cost-of-living concerns and by 11 points on “getting things done.”

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