Delaware Gov. John Carney Warns Against 'Team' Politics as Midterm Races Tighten Nationwide
*By Jacqueline Corba*
Political spectators are readying themselves for a midterm fight to the finish, but Gov. John Carney of Delaware thinks they would do well to focus on the issues ー not just winning the race.
"It seems like we get bogged down in the politics of our own teams," Carney said of the divisive state of politics during an interview with Cheddar Monday. "It gets in the way of improving things that are important."
With midterm elections roughly two weeks away, President Trump's approval rating has jumped to 47 percent, according to a recent poll by [NBC and the Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/interest-in-midterms-surges-boosting-trump-approval-rating-1540126920).
Carney said Democrats have a real opportunity across the nation to take back either the House or Senate and secure governorships that are currently red. Carney served three terms in House from 2011 to 2017.
But it's still unclear whether the midterm "wave" will appear blue or red.
According to a recent report by [FiveThirtyEight](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/senate-and-governor-races-are-diverging-sharply-in-some-states/), there could be an increasing number of split-ticket votes next month.
"I think Democrats are well-positioned in several states," Carney said.
He then shifted the responsibility back to his fellow governors.
"Governors have to focus on what is happening in their state," he said.
President Trump recently [floated](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/business/trump-tax-cut-republicans.html) a new round of tax cuts for the middle-class ー perhaps in a last-ditch effort to lure undecideds.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/delaware-gov-john-carney-on-midterms-trade-wars-and-lotto).
The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin openly invaded the neighboring country of Ukraine on Thursday following weeks of overtures and discussions on keeping an incursion from happening. David Salvo, the deputy director for the Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined Cheddar to go into the Russian leader's motivations. "What I'm sure he understands is that his invasion of Ukraine in 2014 probably ended the discussion of Ukraine joining NATO, even if publicly we won't admit that, that's just the reality. And I'm sure that President Putin understands that," he said, noting that Putin could be using the taking of Ukraine territory as leverage to gain more security concessions from the West.
Following Russia's incursion into Ukraine, the U.S. is warning businesses and major banks to brace themselves for cyberattacks. Lester Munson, a senior fellow at the National Security Institute, joined Cheddar News to break down what this means for financial institutions “So we need to be concerned about not just intentional Russian hacks against American entities but also what Russia is doing in Ukraine. Those things can impact us as well," he said
After weeks of talks and posturing in hopes of staving off an attack, Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, an incident that has already impacted the global economy, including the U.S.. Jason McMann, head of geopolitical risk analysis for Morning Consult, joined Cheddar’s Closing Bell to break down what investors might do to prepare themselves as the crisis continues. "I think there are a few things that we have our eye on over at Morning Consult that could cause the situation to become a bit more severe or unstable as far as market outcomes would be concerned," McMann said. "One of those things would be if the U.S. and the EU kind of moved in concerted fashion to block Russia from the SWIFT transaction system. So, I would say that's one thing that would be worth keeping an eye on."
Alex Walker, candidate for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, joins Cheddar News to discuss why he's running against Lauren Boebert and the inspiration behind his viral campaign ad.
Lisa Hagen, politics reporter for U.S. News and World Report, joins Cheddar News to preview what to expect from President Biden's State of the Union Address on March 1.
Minh-Thu Pham, co-founder of New American Voices, joins Cheddar News to discuss the organization and why new citizens are key to defending U.S. democracy.
Joel Willett, a former CIA operative, joins Cheddar News to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin officially launching a "special military operation" in Ukraine